Today in the world, according to Ethnologue.com, there are about 7000 languages.

2000 are spoken by less than 1000 people!

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How many languages is it humanly possible to learn?



It is difficult to provide a definitive and theoretical answer to this question. Everything depends of course on the abilities of each person.

However, it seems that there are natural limits that apply to the majority of us.

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The British political economist John Bowring, who died in 1872, claimed to know 200 languages and to be able to speak 100.

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The living person said to have mastered the most languages is Ziad Fazah. He claims to speak, read and understand 58 languages, most learned before the age of 20.

We know that before the age of 4, children have a superior learning ability. Then in the next 4 years this ability goes down.

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But apart from these exceptional cases, the limit seems to be much lower.

According to linguists, a year of regular learning is necessary to master the basics of a language. Then, you will have to maintain that initial learning.

As a result, a normal human being can assimilate 10 languages in his life.

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Speaking 10 languages is enough to make a hyperpolyglot, that is to say someone who speaks more than 6 languages, a word popularized by the linguist Richard Hudson in 2003.

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It also seems that the more languages you learn, the easier it is to learn new ones.

This psychological phenomenon is called "Emergence of Metalinguistic Consciousness."

It is an ability that the brain acquires as learning progresses.

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Finally, if it is harder for an adult to learn a new language, children forget them faster if they do not practice them.

For more information about Polyglots:
- See the article: Who are the Most Impressive Polyglots In World History?,
- Find Polyglot Friends on the Polyglot website :)

What did you think about this article? Do you think it's humanly possible to speak so many languages? Please leave a comment below.

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