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Someone who's bilingual can have meaningful conversations in both languages. Beyond that they can see the connections/differences between the two languages and
by icc97 9y ago
Someone who's bilingual can have meaningful conversations in both languages. Beyond that they can see the connections/differences between the two languages and gain a deeper understanding.
However someone who's learnt 15 can probably only order a coffee in each one.
- carlmr 9y ago>However someone who's learnt 15 can probably only order a coffee in each one. Talk to Ioannis Ikonomou who's considered to be good at 32 languages and has cursory knowledge of a few more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ioannis_Ikonomou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ioannis_Ikonomou He's even a certified Chinese translator, and that was one of the later languages he learned. I think you'll be surprised if you go to Europe how many people you'll find who can do a bit more than order coffee in at least 5 languages.
- icc97 9y agoI did say 'probably'. If someone can speak more than 12 languages they're a hyperpolyglot. You'll probably find as many living Nobel Prize winners as hyperpolyglots. Plus I live in Belgium and my partner speaks 5 languages. I think the comment still stands for most mere mortals.
- carlmr 9y agoYeah, I agree, most people can't speak 15. But more than bilingual is very common at a somewhat good level.
- kiliantics 9y agoOr in Africa. It's very common, depending on the country, to know 2 or 3 colonial languages and then speak a handful of different tribal languages on top of that. And all very competently. It's simply a necessity of life in a lot of places.
- FeteCommuniste 9y agoMost people I've met who have studied 10+ languages learned at least two or three to fluency before they developed a "language collecting" habit. But one does come across the occasional total dilettante, too.