How many languages do you know? If it’s more than four—and you’d love to learn yet another—you may be a polyglot. But what is a polyglot, exactly? Polyglots are language masters who pick up new languages easily due to their love of and fascination with the way people speak in different cultures.
Discover more about polyglots, the difference between being a polyglot and being multilingual (or hyperpolyglot!), and how to begin your own polyglot journey with Rosetta Stone.
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Definitions and usage: What is a polyglot?
The word “polyglot” (pah-lee-glot) comes from the Greek polyglōttos, meaning “multiple tongues (languages).” It describes someone who is highly fluent in several languages.
“Polyglot” has a few definitions and can be used as one of three different parts of speech, though its general use refers to having knowledge of multiple languages.
| Part of Speech | Definition | Example Sentence |
| noun | a person who can understand and use multiple languages | Samantha, a true polyglot, learned Arabic and Japanese at once. |
| adjective (1) | something with multiple languages | My new polyglot Bible provides translations in four languages. |
| adjective (2) | something that is culturally diverse | The restaurant’s polyglot menu reflected foods from many countries. |
Polyglots often learn multiple languages at once, both as a challenge and because they’re fascinated by the way languages work. They typically have a gift for linguistics and dialects, making it easy for them to learn languages quickly.
How many languages do you need to speak to be a polyglot?
The number of languages spoken by a polyglot is up for debate. Since poly means “many,” a person just needs to know many languages to be considered a polyglot. However, many linguists believe mastering five to six languages makes someone a polyglot.
Before reaching polyglot status, you may become:
- monolingual: fluent in one language
- bilingual: fluent in two languages
- trilingual: fluent in three languages
- multilingual: fluent in three or more languages
- polyglot: fluent in five or more languages
Keep in mind that your native language—the language you learned at birth—counts as your first language. You only need four more to be considered a polyglot!
Polyglot vs. multilingual
“Polyglot” and “multilingual” both refer to a person who knows and can use multiple languages—but they’re not exactly interchangeable.
A multilingual person knows several languages, either from picking them up during childhood or learning them through study. For example, a multilingual person may have grown up in a home where their mother spoke French, their father spoke Spanish, and they spoke English at school. They may then learn Mandarin Chinese in their adult life to communicate with coworkers.
Polyglots also learn multiple languages—but they’re motivated by interest rather than necessity. While the multilingual person learns Mandarin Chinese for professional purposes, a polyglot may learn it because they’re interested in its writing system or spoken style. They may then pick up a language in a different language family, such as Japanese, and then try their hand at Italian at the same time—just for the fun of it.
Polyglot vs. linguist
Is a polyglot the same thing as a linguist? Not necessarily. While polyglots certainly study and learn many languages, linguists study the science of language. A linguist does not need to be fluent in more than one language to become a linguist, while a polyglot needs to be fluent in several languages to become a polyglot. Additionally, a polyglot doesn’t need to know how a language works scientifically.
However, polyglots can be linguists—and vice versa. Many linguists become polyglots as a result of their multilingual study and interest in languages, and many polyglots become linguists as they learn about more languages and the connections between them.
How fluent do you have to be to be a polyglot?
Since “polyglot” isn’t an official designation, the level of fluency needed in each language is often up to the individual learner. Being fluent can mean different things to different people, including:
- being able to understand, read, speak, and write in a new language
- using a language easily and accurately, without making mistakes
- processing internal thoughts in another language
- needing no translation between languages
Some polyglots would describe themselves as fluent in some of the languages they know and developing in other languages. Some learners only consider a language acquired once they can perform the above tasks in their new language. But the definition suggests that polyglots have some degree of fluency—the ability to use and understand a language—in at least five languages.
How do polyglots become fluent in so many languages?
Polyglots use different ways of learning a language that lead to different fluency levels. Taking language classes like Rosetta Stone Live Lessons is one way for polyglots to learn vocabulary and sentence structure. Working with proficient language tutors helps polyglots put what they’ve learned into practice with conversations that come with real-time feedback from experts.
But taking on the challenge of a new language is only part of the thrill for a polyglot. These learners love immersing themselves in the culture surrounding a language, whether that means living in a country to learn to local language or reading literature in their new tongue. Many polyglots use language apps with audio companions and phrasebooks to bring their language lessons on the go.
Beyond polyglots are hyperpolyglots
Hyper- means “above,” so a hyperpolyglot is a learner with fluency in more languages than a polyglot. The International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA) defines a hyperpolyglot as someone fluent in six or more languages, though many hyperpolyglots learn dozens of languages in their lifetimes.
Famous hyperpolyglots include scientist Nikola Tesla, who is said to have spoken eight languages, and Cleopatra VII, who reportedly spoke a dozen languages.
Tips on how to become a polyglot
All you need to become a polyglot is an interest in other languages. Most polyglots begin as bilingual speakers, either in childhood or later, and go on to pick up other languages throughout their adulthood.
Add these language-learning tips into your routine, and you’ll pick up new languages faster than you think:
- Start with a language that’s easier to pick up. Whether that’s a language close to English or one you started to learn earlier in life, it never hurts to master something simple first.
- Get into grammar. Once you master the fundamentals of one language, it’s easier to pick up others—especially if they follow the same grammatical rules and syntax as languages you already know.
- Immerse yourself in the language. You don’t have to live in another country to master their language (although that is a great way to pick it up!). There are many ways to immerse yourself in a new language, like conversing with native speakers or watching familiar movies in that language.
You can start with any language you’d like to know, such as the most spoken languages in the world or the language your ancestors spoke but you never learned. The possibilities are endless when it comes to expanding your language horizons!
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