Can people master 20 different languages?

Many people in the world can "read proficiently" in 20 different languages, because of that, why don't you learn more foreign languages ​​now?

Human ability to learn foreign languages

Many people find it difficult to "remember and forget" when learning a new language. But there are others who can speak up to 6 different languages.

What is the secret to help them cultivate such a rich foreign language capital without being " burned into ghosts" ? And is it that our magic brains can afford to contain 20 different languages?

Benefits come from learning multiple languages

David Robson - a language researcher who has made many trips around the world to explore the language ability of people all over the world. He had been to Berlin and witnessed Tim Keeley and Daniel Krasa standing on the balcony talking and "shooting" foreign languages ​​like a machine gun.

The first is German, then Hindi, Nepali, Polish, Croatian, Mandarin and Thai. They hardly speak the same language within 2 sentences.

Those who speak more than 10 languages ​​are called ' Hyperglots '. Simply put, it is those who have a 'golden throat ' because they can adjust the sound and speak different languages.

Further research in science, we will consider the challenges for the human brain because learning foreign languages ​​requires memory to work at full capacity.

Our brains have many different memory systems but in order to master a non-native language - that is, you cannot speak fluently - then the brain must operate all memory systems.

It is a permanent memory - used to remember repeated movements or actions, sometimes acting like a natural reflex.

Next is inductive memory - used to remember long-term events such as banana tree images after home gardening or early learning lessons. This department will assist you in learning a foreign language because inductive memory can hold up to 10,000 new words.

And if you don't want to pronounce stuttering foreign languages like robots, then you have to reflex, that is, every word has to be at the tip of the tongue, you need to system it and turn into a sentence.

In general, to speak a language well, according to the brain, David Robson, you need to work quite hard. However, this is good because like the body, your brain needs to train every day to be healthy.

In fact, it has proven that learning many languages ​​helps you increase your concentration; Accumulate a form of 'cognitive reserve ' and repel dementia .

Ellen Bialystok, a lecturer at York University (Canada), discovered that speaking two languages ​​well is preventing the loss of dementia for five years. Those who speak three languages ​​repel dementia for 6.4 years, while those proficient in four or more than four languages ​​enjoy an additional 9 years of lucidity when they get old.

Recently many neuroscientists have studied the ' important period ' hypothesis, implying our mental acumen when we were young when we approached the new language. This hypothesis rejects the ability to speak fluently a foreign language when we grow up.

However, Keeley's case proved that this theory is unfounded. He grew up in Florida, where he was exposed to Spanish speakers at school. As a child, he often tuned the radio to listen to foreign radio stations - although he didn't understand a word.

Keeley said, " it's like music with me ." But when he grew up, he started traveling around the world - he first went to Colombia, where he learned French, German and Portuguese at the University.

He then moved to work in Switzerland and Eastern Europe before going to Japan. Now, he can be fluent at least 20 languages ​​and almost all of them have learned in adulthood.

The secret to multilingual fluency

Keeley said that in order to be best engaged in a new environment where you are completely alien from culture to language, you need to "molt". That means, you need an open mind, ready to accept the new. This will give you more relationships as well as more comfortable communication.

Every language is associated with culture and actually speaking foreign languages ​​is not simply about communicating, but also how you learn to behave like a native.

For example, you can feel the French romance when speaking French, learn the Italian politeness when speaking Italian, and the Japanese caution when using Japanese. Studies have shown that multilingual people often use different behaviors according to the language they are speaking.

Keeley said: " You need to separate your mind for each language, culture and related experience, so that languages ​​have their own space to function and absolutely not to be mixed together."

In addition, learning a foreign language is not only about learning the language and writing, but also learning the gestures and gestures of indigenous people. We must understand that in addition to the pronunciation language, there are other languages ​​that are very commonly used in everyday life, the language of gestures, gestures as well as the voices of the speakers. You should learn all that and be flexible in communication.

Another important factor when learning languages ​​is that you need to practice regularly . It is not necessary to always talk to native speakers, if you have free time, listen to a song or read a simple children's book in a foreign language.

The words you learn through recreational activities are not many, but they are extremely popular, and will definitely be effective later if you save them in your vocabulary .

So don't be afraid to learn a language by learning a new language just as you are opening a new world for yourself.