Speaking and understanding two languages is impressive enough. But what happens when you know three languages? While being trilingual might be easy for people with parents of diverse ethnicities or who live in countries with multiple official languages, it may be far less common where you live. So it might beg the question, is becoming trilingual worth it?
Find out what trilingualism really means and how many people are trilingual around the world. We’ll also break down the reasons why being trilingual is beneficial, what languages most people become trilingual in, and how to start becoming trilingual today!
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What is “trilingual”?
The trilingual definition comes from the Latin tri- (three) and lingua (language). You can see that it quite literally means that you can speak three languages with a level of fluency, including the first language you learned as a child.
The way to describe the number of languages you speak breaks down like this:
- Monolingual: One language
- Bilingual: Two languages
- Trilingual: Three languages
- Multilingual: More than three languages
- Polyglot: More than four languages (and counting)
Like trilinguals and multilinguals, polyglots know lots of languages. They’re often motivated by their interest in linguistics and learning more about other cultures. It doesn’t take long for a trilingual to become a polyglot!
Why do people become trilingual?
Every learning journey is different with motivations and desires unique to each individual. Some children learn multiple languages through traditional language acquisition by growing up in a trilingual family or community. Others grow up bilingual and learn a third language for convenience or interest. And many people grow up monolingual, but choose to learn additional languages for professional or personal reasons.
Curiosity, travel, work, and relationships are often the main reasons why people choose to learn a second or third language. So, you can see there’s no single reason to learn a third language. If you know two and always wanted to learn a third, that’s a good enough reason to become trilingual!
How many people are trilingual in the world?
So how many people are trilingual? Some estimates put the total of the world’s trilingual speakers at just over 1 billion people. That’s 13% of everyone on Earth!
However, this number may vary depending on the interpretation of being trilingual. People may be fluently bilingual and understand only basic communication in a third language yet still be considered trilingual. Others are fluent in their native language and have intermediate language fluency in their second and third languages.
Most common languages that trilinguals learn
The combinations of languages that trilinguals learn depend on where they live and why they know three languages. Based on data, we can infer that some of the most common trilingual languages may be among the most spoken languages in the world. English, Mandarin, and Spanish are common second and third languages to learn—not to mention first languages.
Other trilinguals may understand some of the hardest languages to learn based on where they live. If you live in Asia or do business with people in different Asian countries, you may know any combinations of Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese due to the regional influences around you. People living in Eastern Europe may learn multiple Slavic languages, including Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, while those living in Scandinavian countries may learn Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish.
And since English is widely spoken around the world, it’s often a third or fourth language choice, too. Though English is considered a hard language to learn, it is a Germanic language and widely used through media, from news to music, making it common to learn.
You can also learn two additional languages in the same language family as your first language. For example, native Italian speakers might find it easy to learn other Romance languages like French and Spanish. And many Portuguese speakers find Italian to be very closely related, sometimes even closer than Spanish.
What are the top trilingual countries?
If you come from one of the most multilingual countries in the world, you may also have a higher chance of knowing three (or more!) languages. Citizens from Papua New Guinea, for example, live in a country with three official languages and 840 total spoken languages.
In Europe, it’s common to know at least three languages (your first language, plus English and French). And African countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe have around a dozen official languages each, while Nigeria is home to over 700 spoken languages. When your neighbors speak so many different languages, it’s easier to become trilingual!
Advantages of being trilingual
It’s true that bilinguals are smarter than the average person. But what about trilinguals? Is it worth studying a third language if you already know two?
Studies are clear that learning a third language has cognitive advantages, especially if you learn them sequentially (one at a time). These advantages include:
- enhanced cognitive function
- better memory throughout life
- a larger cognitive reserve in old age
- exposure to more cultures and traditions around the world
- ability to translate into more than one language when traveling
Keep in mind, in order for your third language learning journey to be as advantageous as your second one, it needs to be even more challenging. If your third language is too easy or too difficult, you may not see a surge in cognitive benefits. And if a lot of time passes between learning your second and third languages, your cognitive ability may not have the same boost as learning them closer together.
Is it hard to be trilingual?
Learning two languages on top of your native language is quite a feat! But is becoming trilingual as difficult as it seems?
Not necessarily. A lot of your trilingual journey depends on which languages you already know and which ones you’re looking to learn. Some languages take longer to learn than others, ranging anywhere from 24 to 88 weeks of dedicated practice.
But if you’ve already learned a second language, you know that the key to successfully learning a language is about the time you put into it. You may have already mastered memorization techniques needed to acquire new vocabulary, and you’ve experienced how effective tools like Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method can be.
And if you grew up bilingual and want to add a third language to your knowledge base, you’re in the right place. You can even learn two languages at once, especially if you’re tackling one of the five Romance languages or other linguistically similar languages.
Key takeaways for trilingualism
Becoming trilingual is a great step in your journey toward multilingualism. Keep in mind these helpful key points about what being trilingual is and why you’d want to become trilingual.
- The most common trilingual definition describes people who know three languages.
- Most trilingual people know three languages to some degree of fluency, though there isn’t a universal standard for how fluent they could be.
- When determining how many people are trilingual, experts suggest that the number is close to 1 billion people (around 13% of the world population).
- Being trilingual is beneficial for your memory, brings you cognitive reserve and skills, and introduces you to new cultures.
- Learning a third language might be even easier than learning your second language. Find out more about how Rosetta Stone works to start your trilingual learning journey today!
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