Mango Languages lately interviewed American polyglot and Harvard linguistics undergraduate,Tim Doner, to inquire about him about linguistics, as being a polyglot, and language education advocacy. Let his insights keep you going to find out more languages —and about language itself.
Tim Doner was introduced in to the limelight as he began posting videos of themself speaking various languages to YouTube – he was 16 at that time and received a lot of media attention. His later video “Teen Speaks 20 Languages” propelled him to polyglot status within the language-learning world. Since that time, he’s been interviewed in a number of prominent newspapers and media outlets. He’s also used his recognition to become an advocate for learning. His message is that this: anybody can become familiar with a language which is necessary to know how other cultures see the world to have peace.
A lot of you studying this can be thinking, how do i fit learning into my hectic agenda? Well, Tim is really a university student (studying Linguistics!), so he does not have a lot of time for you to study languages. What he attempts to do is make learning as passive as you possibly can: He’ll spend time watching/hearing this news in the target languages or hearing pop songs. They’ll really go to town your mind without trying, plus, you’ll possess a constant vocabulary list to drag from. Even when you’re learning one new word each day, it’s still in front of the mind and it is still relevant.
We requested Tim how he’d define fluency, because it’s certainly a difficult term which has a variety of interpretations. “It’s problematic to state there’s one umbrella meaning of fluency”. It truly depends upon what one’s goals have been in the languages learned. For instance, you may be conversationally experienced in a language, yet would be unable to discuss philosophy or even the tax code. Even native loudspeakers of the language might have difficulty expressing themselves inside a given subject. Tim explains, “I have ample professors who don’t speak British natively, yet possess a command from the language that’s much better than mine.” Tim also raises the concept that you may be targeting fluency inside a subculture from the language. For instance, Tim pointed out he has lots of Greek buddies who studied the Iliad deeply in senior high school and therefore are frequently in a position to reference it in conversation. This subgroup doesn’t reflect every Greek speaker, only individuals that Tim frequently interacts with. Therefore, the idea of fluency crosses linguistic and cultural lines, which makes it even more complicated to pin lower.
As it pertains lower into it, it truly depends upon your objectives using the language you’re learning. “Fluency is one thing better defined upon personal lines.” Tim is really a “firm proponent of the fact that you are able to achieve a C2 level with rigorous study.” C2 refers back to the greatest degree of the CEFR (Common European Framework for Languages), in which the learner can understand everything heard or read. “I’ve seen individuals who haven’t began learning [a language] until their teens or twenties who’re impressive loudspeakers.”
Obviously, understanding a language is much more than vocabulary and phrases — culture-learning is the reason 50% from it. To be able to really immerse yourself within the culture, you need to learn how to understand appropriate cultural behaviors, for example how you can be polite and respectful inside your target language. Beyond these basics, it might be also smart to find out more about a brief history from the culture, just because a shared cultural or literary framework frequently unites people. It’s also wise to bring your personal goals into account inside your culture learning. For instance, you can look at trying Capoeira if you are learning Brazilian Portuguese or making authentic French dishes if you are learning French. Obviously, don’t pressure you to ultimately do a task should you not appreciate it — but it’s usually best to learn something totally new!
If you’d like to enhance how you learn languages, listen fully interview for additional advice from Tim Doner!
Which language are you currently motivated to learn next? With Mango, you’ve over 70 to select from. Determine if check your local library (in america or Canada) offers use of Mango Languages!
Resourse: http://blog.mangolanguages.com/
Teenage hyperpolyglot
Video COMMENTS:
ShadowMassacr13: Even his vocabulary in English is structured and above standard.
Ryan: That is quite simply, common sense.
chrisrockslol: yeah you need to have a good understanding of your native language to learn foreign language.
mintyfresh9080: The lighting makes them look like villains.
Kevin Nguyen: +mintyfresh9080 Taker of Lives.
Draw With Alice: mintyfresh9080 SO TRUE
TheAnkleSam: Amazing! He speaks well in all those languages! By the way, the way the Chinese girl is looking at him is like thinking ''Damn!!! He speaks Chinese!!!''
CoolKoon: +FichDichInDemArsch That depends on which two dialects are you comparing I guess…….
FichDichInDemArsch: +CoolKoon Sure. For instance, Mandarin itself has many dialects. I'm not talking about those, of course. I'm talking about full-fledged languages like Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Sichuanese, Hakka, Wu, etc., which are all considered dialects of a single Chinese language. Now, that is stunningly ridiculous since there is probably more mutual intelligibility between say, Swedish and Albanian than between these "dialects".
Majd Tahan: His use of vocabulary is outstanding for his age.