I was born in a multicultural family my self. My mother is Japanese and my father is Brazilian. I was born in Brazil and learned Portuguese as my first language but moved to Japan at a very young age and had to learn Japanese.

In the beginning was very hard as I couldn’t communicate with other people, making it hard to make friends.

But I learned Japanese very fast and within 3 months I was already able to communicate with others and make some friends.

Kids learns much faster than we could imagine and I think the best time to learn a second language is when you still young. One of the best advantage of learning a new language when you are a child is that you probably will speak with almost no accent or no accent at all.

I now have a child and just like me he was exposed to different languages at a very young age. I always spoke to him in Portuguese but as he was born in Japan he also had to learn Japanese.  And as a lot of our friends speaks English, he is learning English too.

In the very beginning, I was afraid that he would mix the languages and would get confuse. So I was very careful to use only one language per time and never mix words from different languages.

Some how he always knew whether we were speaking Portuguese or Japanese. And if he asks me something in Portuguese, I would reply in Portuguese only. And he would do the same thing. And if he didn’t know how to answer that in Portuguese, he would ask me in the language he could, how to say what he wanted in Portuguese.

He goes to Japanese school and it seems he is doing well and definitely he is not behind the other kids.

A child learning a second language could take longer to talk. As a parent it can be frustrating seeing how all the other children are increasing their language ability while your child is “stuck” trying to cope with two or more languages. But don’t stress about it. Your child will eventually learn.

I know many people that brought up their kids in a multilingual environment. And it’s always a successful story. My son has many friends that speaks 2, 3 even 4 languages. They are all very smart kids and are fluent in each idiom that they learned.

Research suggests that bilingual children may develop more flexibility in their thinking as a result of processing information through two different languages.

If you fear that your child will get confuse and will end up not learning properly any language, focus each time on the necessity and difficulty of your child.

When my son started at preschool, I realized that he needed to focus on learning writing Japanese or he would be left behind in his class. So I decided that I would give him time to learn properly Japanese before I could introduce him to learn the alphabet. Only after he could write Japanese well I started teaching him at home the alphabet. Within 2 months he already could read Portuguese and now I will teach him how to read English.

Teaching your child more than one language is completely possible but remember to give them the time they need and never stress or push them too hard. They will learn on their own pace.

I strongly encourage parents to teach their kids more than one language. The benefits of it are huge.

Below you will find some useful links about raising a child with more than one idiom:

Bilingual and Multilingual Children

Frequently Asked Questions

Multilingual Children’s Association

This is your web-guide to raising multilingual children. It’s a site dedicated to kids growing up with multiple languages. Expert advice and real world wisdom, parent discussions, tips, resource directory, articles and more.

Whether it is part of your work or you want to reach into new cultures, there are a lot of reasons to enrich your multilingual skills. However, the process of learning a new language proves difficult to a lot of people. This often leads to a loss of motivation and ultimately giving up. This process will always remain difficult, especially if only one language is fluent. Fortunately, there are some things to be taken into consideration in order to make this process easier.

1. Picking a language 

There are numerous of reasons why you might want to consider picking a particular language. You might have to learn a language to help you in your work, or you might want to learn a language because your future wife/husband speaks another language than you do. Listing the factors that will determine what language you’re going to learn might prove vital later so that your efforts will not be in vain.

I for one carry 100% Dutch blood, and learning English has not been easy for me. I know there are people out there who are experiencing a lot more trouble than I did, and this is merely because I lived in an environment where a lot of English was spoken. I remember going to London on a vacation one day. We were brought to our hotel room and my father thanked the employee. We decided to go to bed immediately as it was well past midnight and we still hadn’t explored London. The very next day I lost my father because I was a tad too fascinated with the Big Ben. After some walking, I still failed to communicate with anybody there. Luckily I ran into a Dutch vacation goer who waited with me until my father finally found me. After we had gotten home, I knew I wanted to learn English, and so I did. Nowadays I am practically fluent in English, Dutch, German and French. I still tend to make grammatical errors, therefore I am still trying to improve my vocabulary and grammar.

Languages that are similar to your native language tend to be easier to learn. You’d be surprised by how easy it is to learn French when you’re fluent in Italian, for example. This is something to take into consideration if you want to learn a language as fast as possible.

2. Dedication is the key to success

Before you read any further, I want you to ask yourself the following question and answer it honestly: “Am I dedicated enough to spend my time learning a new language?”. Learning a language will become easier over time, but this point will never be reached if the right dedication is not present. I’m not going to lie to you, learning a new language is indeed a difficult and time consuming process. Therefore, being dedicated and motivated can you help a lot in the long term. Remember, learning a language is supposed to be fun and not make your veins throb!

3. Don’t try to run before you can walk

Do you remember the time when you could run around on the playground all day long? This never would have been possible if it wasn’t for you learning how to walk first. The same goes for teaching yourself a new language: go back to the very basics. Even if you know how to say “Kellner, meine Bratwurst ist noch roh!” in German, or you know how to count to 1,000 in Spanish, go back to the very basics. This ensures that you don’t miss anything vital that would make the overall process a lot less challenging. Amongst the basics are the alphabet, learning how to count, the basic grammatical rules, pronunciations etc. You can move on to more advanced parts of the language as soon as you or your teacher feels right about doing so.

4. Choosing a path

Before you can actually do anything, you must choose how you’re actually going to learn the foreign language of your choice. There are almost an indefinable amount of options to choose from nowadays. Your best bet would be to choose what you’re most comfortable with. Some people prefer to read a book, while others prefer to have a tutor they can consult immediately if they encounter a problem they can’t solve themselves. Your only limitations are your dedication, motivation and possibly your money depending on your decision. You could of course also use the Internet if you don’t have the money or simply don’t want to use any other method. There are a lot of free sites out there dedicated to assist those wishing to teach themselves a foreign language. Some examples of good websites to start at are http://speakdutch.nl/ (Dutch), http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/ (German) and http://www.frenchassistant.com/ (French). These are only three of the many sites out there. One of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to experience the language. This means that you actually go out to see the culture of the native speakers. Unfortunately, this can be quite pricey and should only be done if you have enough money to spend.

5. Associate the language with your daily life

A lot of people find that integrating the language in their daily lives makes the process a lot easier. This is because it’ll become a habit to speak, read, write and listen to the language. It will give you the opportunity of learning in a passive and fun manner. There are a lot of things you can do to achieve this, including:

• Finding a native speaker you speak to on a regular basis — this gives you the opportunity of consulting a native speaker if you ever feel the need to. It’s even better when the native speaker is also a great teacher who is willing to help you.
• Watching DVDs/TV/videos/… in the native language. This enables you to enjoy a good movie while you’re learning in a passive manner — with or without subtitles.
• Listen to foreign music and try to figure out what they’re singing on your own.
• Consider taking language tests. This will show you how well you know the language already.

These are only a few examples. The range of possible choices is almost infinite.

6. Plan!

You’re bound to get confused at one point, and having no plan isn’t going to help you with that either. Not planning leaves most people utterly confused and ultimately unmotivated. Write down exactly why you want to learn the language and how you’re planning on achieving this. Make a priority list. Schedule. Take preparations beforehand. Things you have to learn include, but are not limited to:

1. Listening and speaking. Listening to and speaking basic aspects of a foreign language may prove difficult at first, but this will become easier over time and will significantly increase your skills. Repetition has been proven to work.
2. Reading and writing. You can use any method that works for you. This will help you build up a vocabulary and a sense of the grammatical and spelling rules of the language. Don’t forget to do exercises on a regular basis.

3. Start to associate the language more and more with your daily life. This ensures that you learn passively as well as actively.

Conclusion

Becoming multilingual is a difficult process. Because of this, a lot of people tend to give up after a while. Fortunately for those that learn to stay dedicated, their efforts will and have really paid off. Being multilingual is something to be proud of and holds a lot of benefits. With the right planning and the right dedication and motivation, anybody can learn a foreign language if they really want to.

I wish you good luck, or how we say it here in the Netherlands: veel geluk!

All of these factors serve as a disadvantage to multilingual students attending poorer schools compared to students who attend schools which are better maintained.  The deteriorating condition of the school building can be distracting and cause students to under perform.  The poor students include some multilingual and bilingual students.

Lack of Innovation Causes Apathy

When students have outdated textbooks and school supplies, the material they are learning will cause them to not be competitive in the job market and will cause them to miss out on opportunities because of their sheer lack of knowledge.  Because the textbooks are outdated, they will have little motivation to learn.  Students may fail to see the relevance of outdated material in textbooks.   Because we are in the Information age, reading will become very important.

Teachers who teach in these schools which are poorly maintained and in which textbooks are outdated will be limited in their ability to teach.  Schools such as the schools in poor areas tend to attract teachers who have just graduated from college or who may not have been able to qualify for teaching jobs in more affluent areas because of the demands which parents and other teachers place on them.   They are lacking in experience.  Because they lack experience or are poorly trained, they may lack the motivation and knowledge to teach so that students may learn.

Image by cogdogblog via Flickr

Reading skills are very important for the future development of students so that they can perform life skills and tasks related to work and family.  If the students do not develop reading skills in elementary school, they will become disciplinary problems or they will spend time in jail in their later years.

Students in the poorer schools spend more time in remedial classes which do not teach them reading skills and in lower level reading groups because of the stigma which is attached to poor students.  The teachers assume that their skills are inferior and that they are incapable or not interested in learning.  Consequently, in some schools, eighty percent of the students have poor reading skills.

The solution to the challenges which poor students face in school include requiring bilingual and multilingual students to attend at least three English classes per week.  The students can then switch to English-only classes after spending two years in these classes.  By then, they will have developed better reading, speaking and writing skills.

In conclusion, the conditions which are present in the schools in poor areas discourage speakers of other languages from mastering reading skills.

Multilingual students will be more motivated to learn the language if they are encouraged to include facts about their culture.  The first generation typically is not interested in the American culture and has difficulty adjusting to the change.  In order to encourage them to read, they must read about something which is familiar to them.  This would be an effective gesture of good will.

 Preserving Lifestyles from the Country of Origin

Multilingual people are very proud of their culture and feel threatened when they are told to speak English.  Even though their quality of life has changed, they still want to maintain their culture.  This is why they often shop at the markets where they can secure goods from their own country, rather than American goods.

 They are informed about current events and enjoy discussing the world in relation to their own country.  They want to know what is occurring in their country, as most of them still have family there.  They observe the relationships with the other countries and note what changes have occurred.  They look forward to returning to their countries to pay visits to relatives.

Class discussions will always be centered on their culture or globalization, as this is a frame of reference for them.  Whenever I teach my classes at the local community college, the students talk about their culture constantly.  There are communities here in the United States where multilingual people continue to practice their culture, such as having parties, following the sports, playing the music, and eating the ethnic food.  They even adorn their yards with cultural symbols.

Using Local News in Assignments  

In the summer, multilingual students attend the festivals related to their country and have parties at their houses often.  At times, they will integrate with Americans and attend the outdoor events.  They are accustomed to attending outdoor events in their own country.  This is a time when they celebrate with family and friends.

 These events which they celebrate are often the topics which they write about and discuss.  They will tell their classmates about this and they will include the events in their writings.  Whenever I prepare materials for discussion, I incorporate ethnicity into the lessons to give multilingual students more of an incentive to learn the language and to make it more enjoyable for them. 

 In conclusion, when multilingual students have a familiar point of reference incorporated into the English as a Second Language lessons, they will be eager to learn English and make efforts to communicate more in English.

Bilingualism is the ability of a person to speak in two languages. A person becomes bilingual either by learning two languages or learning a second language some time after learning the first language. The first language many be the person’s mother tongue and the second language maybe any language that the person learns later on in life There are many advantages and disadvantages of being bilingual. Firstly being bilingual enables a person to speak in two different languages-this means that if parents belong to different cultural backgrounds then it becomes easier to communicate with each parent and it becomes easier for the parent to pass on their heritage to their child. They also have the knowledge to experience two cultures and they would be more tolerant to diversity which would reduce the chances of racism. These people can also think in two different languages and can progress socially and economically. The confidence of the person increases and it then becomes easier for that person to become multilingual (learn a third language).  Reading and writing in two languages means a bilingual person can enjoy literature in both original languages. This can create a deeper understanding of different traditions and ways of thinking and behaving. The pleasures of reading novels, poetry and magazines and the enjoyment of writing to friends and family are all doubled for bilingual people

Economically also, job opportunities increase for these people as the jobs of sales, media and marketing require people who are bilingual. In the short term people maybe hesitant to learn two languages but in the long term it becomes useful, in the fast growing era of globalization. It would also help in raising the self esteem of a person as the ability two speak in two languages may be praised. Globalization is giving rise to higher levels of communication between people and bringing them more closer. The dependency ratio is increasing, where countries are engaging in trade and are dependent on each other. This means that it is essential to learn two languages.

Apart from this, there are some drawbacks of bilingualism too. A persons thinking process will be disturbed because he/she usually thinks in one language (usually he mother tongue). This means that then it becomes difficult for a person to relate to the problem that he/she is thinking of, in the other language. Also if both the languages that a person is speaking are poorly developed then it would be difficult for that person, especially a child to cope up with the school curriculum. In case of a child knowing two languages the parents will have to be extremely careful in engineering a child’s bilingual development, especially if the parent only knows one language. Lastly, bilingualism makes a person confused about who he/she is. They may speak two languages but there are distinctly indentified as belonging to a single culture alone. Therefore, they many be uncomfortable in moving between two identites.

                                                MONOLINGUALISM

Monolingualism is the ability of a person to speak or write in a single language, which is usually the person’s mother tongue. In many countries like France and Turkey people are monolingual that is they only speak French and Turkish, and are unaware of other languages. In Pakistan also people usually speak Urdu, but there exists different dialects of this language also. Pakistan is a country which is divided into four provinces, each having its own identity, culture and language. This is why some people only speak in Urdu, whilst others only speak the language of the province to where they belong, for example Sindhi. Punjabi etc. A person usually masters one language in which he/she speaks. At times the people have to get accustomed to learning a different language, usually a second language in order to meet the needs of globalization.

Monolingualism also has certain advantages. When a person knows one language alone then a sense of pride, unity and patriotism develops. Many people speak the same language so there is improved communication and a sense of equality is promoted.  A clear sense of thinking is also developed as the person thinks in one language alone giving rise to a clarity in the thought process. This in turn, also enables a person to implement his thought and idea clearly. This takes an edge over bilingualism which means that the know how of two languages disturbs the persons thinking process and acts as a barrier in thinking creatively and clearly. If a person speaks in one language alone then his level of confidence also increases. He/ she speaks in one language alone and so is confident in talking to other people who know the language that they are speaking. This eliminates communication barriers and communication increases among people living in the same country. In France all the people only speak  French and so nationality is promoted.

Apart from the advantages there are certain disadvantages of being monolingual too. Being monolingual, hinders a person, particularly a child’s mental growth as he/ she is only taught one language. This restricts his/ her ability to learn other languages. Also, an interaction with others is hindered if that person does not know the language that the monolingual person is speaking. This is a negative aspect because the needs of the economic world today require a person to know other languages as well. It also means that employment prospects for that person are lower as that person cannot expect to apply for jobs that require people who are bilingual or multilingual. Being monolingual also means that a person does not have knowledge about other cultures apart from his/her culture. This is because the more languages that a person knows the more knowledge he/she has about other cultures. Keeping in mind our country, Pakistan consists of a variety of different cultures but a majority of people speak in Urdu. This refers specifically to many people living in Karachi where these people speak Urdu with clarity. Though this may be an advantage, but it is a disadvantage as well because then these people are unable to communicate with other people in other provinces who speak different cultural language and they lack the cultural identity that those people are a part of

MULTILINGUALISM

Multilingualism is the ability of a person to communicate in more than two languages. Multilingual people usually speak three languages this is the mother tongue, their own local and community language and other languages such as French. English  or Spanish. If a person is multilingual then he/she can clearly and easily communicate with other people belonging to different cultures and communities. A multilingual person then understands the ideas, beliefs and emotions of the people with whom they are communicating. They also have the knowledge about different cultural norms, values customs and beliefs. This increases the level of understanding between the people as they know exactly what the other person wants and what he/she  is talking about. In todays world the demand for people who are multilingual is increasing because the economic dependency between the countries have increases. Many jobs require people who are multilingual because increased dependency means the need to communicate with people belonging to different countries increases. Research also shows that people who are multilingual are highly paid and the employment prospects for them are very high. In the era of globalization the more languages a person knows, the more are the chances of progress for him.

Inspite of the benefits and advantages of multilingualism a majority of people are not multilingual. This is because it becomes difficult for people to learn different languages, whilst there are others who have the ability to learn these languages quickly and have a command and grasp over them. Such people can then progress economically and socially.  It also provides people with the ability to share in a wide range of intercultural experiences such as literature, entertainment, religion and other interests. Researchers, however point out that multilingualism means that the knowledge of more then two languages weakens the command of a person over the native language or the mother tongue. This is because a person constantly tries to learn and adopt other languages.

In Pakistan many people are trying to become multilingual because the country is going through a recessionary period. Many people believe that being multi lingual will increase their employment opportunities and will help them to progress. The local companies are facing a loss and the rise in the number of multinationals is giving a rise to the demand for people who are multilingual. This is because these people will then need to communicate with delegates belonging to different countries. Multilinguistic people are highly recognized in many different parts of the world. In Pakistan apart from English and Urdu people are learning other languages like Arabic. They become multilingual because of the religious significance attached to it. Many people learn Arabic to learn Islamic ideals and beliefs. Thus multilingualism plays a very important role in all spheres of life. Though many people are against multilingualism. These people believe that they should know one language alone in order to promote a sense of nationality, equality and solidarity. I believe that that being if a person is multilinguistic then there are little chances of any hindrances coming in their way of communication. Their knowledge base would increase as they would communicate in different languages.

Multilingual is the art of being able to communicate in more than one language. Communicating through a language doesn’t necessarily mean increasing your vocabulary of the particular language; instead it more pertains to understanding the relevance of the words being spoken, the feelings, events, ideas and beliefs behind different regional jargon. People who understand these features of more than two languages are called multi linguistic. Knowing a number of languages is always advantageous. With the advent of modern form of communications, globalization and the constant search for new markets, experts say that people knowing different languages earn a lot more than people who don’t. As its becoming increasingly easier for companies to go global, they are facing an increasing need for people who could drift through different borders without communication problems, that is, people who know different languages, not only the words but the beliefs, feelings and cultural values associated with them. Apart from the monetary benefits, people who have command on different languages find it easier to socialize, easier to get close to people from different backgrounds. They develop a better understanding about people they interact with and hence are more successful in not only professional but personal relationships.

Multilingual people are rare worldwide, but with increased demand and opportunities for such people, their numbers are growing. Majority of the multilingual people have their native language as their primary language, English or Spanish as a secondary language and then they learn Arabic, Persian, Chinese, German, or French as a tertiary language. There are certain people who are gifted in this regard as well, its easier for them to relate with different languages and culture, they better understand how people from different regional and geographic backgrounds think and react under different situations. It’s easier for such people to learn multi languages.

The trend of speaking multiple languages is growing in Pakistan as well, in fact, as the literate class of Pakistan is well versed in English along with knowing Urdu as their native language; it’s easier for them to be classified as multi lingual. With an increased interest in religion and beliefs and to look beyond superstitions, stereotypes and baseless norms, people are increasingly learning languages like Arabic and Persian which contain most of the Islamic teachings. Apart from that, as unemployment is on the rise and recessionary waves are still worsening the situation, competition in the job market is increasing along with unemployment. To seek different opportunities and to apply across borders for jobs and education, people are leaning towards gaining knowledge of different languages, cultures, geographical and regional values and norms. The deterring conditions of the local economy and corruption in different institutions are also compelling people to find modes of income outside the national boundaries. Investments by multinationals and their presence in the country is another reason for the rising demand in Pakistan for people who are acquainted with different languages. With recessionary strokes hitting companies from all over the globe, companies are bound to look for people who can be employed for tasks in different geographical locations and as Pakistan hosts a large number of multinational investors, the demand for multi lingual people is significant in it.

Not only can language be seen as changing but it is also becoming more diverse, and in some unpredictable ways. The UK has never been as multilingual and multidialectal as it is today, and this is the result of an increase in the merging of regional accents that occurs due to urbanization and the mobilization of the population. This is further supplemented with the languages of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers from countries around the world, further adding to the linguistic ‘salad bowl’.

Traditional rural dialects have involved into new varieties, and a large number of new urban dialects have formed. Where there was once just ‘Scouse’ (Liverpool English), there is now Caribbean Scouse and other ethnically influenced varieties. Further; as a result of social mobility, many speakers now have mixed accents, representing all the parts of the country in which they have lived.

This rich diversity in language variation is appreciated for its cultural background and its part in shaping individual’s identities. However the major problem of accents and dialect language is that people often can’t understand those from different regions. This leads to confusion, misunderstanding and isolation of those with a different accent to the local one. As well as this some accents are considered to be less educated or come from less reputable areas. As a result people are often prejudice towards those with these accents, including in employment and education, people with these accents may have their opportunities limited by the way they speak.

However Received Pronunciation (RP) is a language variation that is understood by all, and so to combat any misunderstanding that may befall those with different accents or dialects, RP may be used as a definite communicative accent.

I have always been interested in languages and have tried at various times in my life to acquire the knowledge of many languages. It has been one of my personal dreams to become a polyglot. A polyglot is an extremely multilingual person. The problem is that I just have not had to time to invest in memorization of list of words and phrases to achieve this goal especially when that is not a very effective way of learning languages.

Additionally with the exception of some language classes taken in school and living for a for a few months in another culture I very rarely had the chances to actively practice the languages I have tried to acquire in an interactive way. Thanks to modern technology that is all changing. It is finally possible to become a polyglot in the comfort of your own home in fun and easy ways. I have developed a strategy to cross becoming a polyglot off from my bucket list and I hope that it helps you as well.

Computer Programs

If you live in North America and watch late night television you most likely have seen the infomercials for Rosetta Stone Languages systems. In my opinion this is the best language system going out there. In Rosetta Stone you are taken visually and aurally on a journey of discovery in your new language in much the same way as you became aware of your native tongue. You start out with pictures and written words being presented while a native speaker says the words and you then choose which photo and word/sentence is correct in regards to what the speaker has said. Later in the program you progress to speaking and writing in the language. It corrects you if you are wrong and rewards you if you are right. This program trains you to think in the given languages and that is the only way that you can say you actually know a language.

Another computer language program is called Instant Immersion. It is much the same as Rosetta Stone , however overall the product line does not have as many individual languages as Rosetta Stone. Instant Immersion does have a program called Instant Immersion 36 Languages Deluxe that offers the would be polyglot access to a few languages that Rosetta Stone does not offer. I have considered getting this simply because it has the Zulu language on it and I would like to add a “Click Language” to my skills. The program only offers very basic knowledge of the 36 languages, but it is inexpensive and a nice addition to your polyglot toolbox. In my opinion it is better to invest in the Rosetta Stone versions for your initial study and only use Instant Immersion as a supplement.

Audio Instruction

The use of audio instruction in regards to learning languages via cassettes, CDs, or computer audio files (MP3s, WMA, OGG, iTunes) is best only used a supplement or enhancement to your study with programs like Rosetta Stone. Most of these only deal with the memorization of phrases that tourists would use and do not offer the option of thinking in the language in the way these software programs do. Their only benefit is that they can be listened to while driving in the car or exercising. In my opinion you are better off to learn a language via a program like Rosetta Stone and then listen to songs in the language you are learning instead of those very boring language memorization audio programs.

The Wonder of Television

Living in Canada, and having Shaw Direct, a Satellite Television Provider, I have access to many programs in various languages. If I wanted to spend the money I would have access to even more via foreign language packages they offer. Presently without spending an additional cent I have access to programs in French, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, and various Aboriginal Languages. I use this programming to my advantage in becoming a polyglot. I watch the television Lost in French quite often. In French it is called Perdus. I find that watching a show that I am familiar with in a language I am trying to acquire is very helpful. I also leave one French station on throughout the day as background noise from time to time which I also find helpful. The radio also also a place to find multilingual programming.

Read The Labels

Another benefit of living in Canada that aids in becoming multilingual and if you are trying to learn either French or English is that everything is bilingual here. I make it a practice everyday to spend a few minutes just reading product labels and comparing the phrasing. Many times it is not meaning the same thing because this or that phrase in not used in the other language. This trick has really helped me with gaining a knowledge of French. Many other countries have multilingual packaging or signs use them to your polyglotic benefit.

DVDs and Blurays

If you go to the set up section of many DVDs or Blurays some have the option of watching the feature in other languages and with or without subtitles. If you are learning one of the languages offered in this selection process you can use this to aid in your language instruction. If it is a movie that you have seen before all the better. Watch the feature in a few different languages (at different times of course) and this will help to go between these languages more easily.

The World is Full of Wonderful Songs

I touched on this briefly in the section of Audio Instruction, however it is important and worth mentioning again. Listen to songs in the languages you are trying to learn. Put them as a part of your personal play list. You can be selective to one language you are learning or mix up songs from languages you already know during the immersion process. That is a personal choice. I prefer mixing them up as I feel that if you are becoming a polyglot you need to be able to shift between many languages quickly and songs are the best way to simulate this on a daily basis.

Make Your Brain a Language Sponge

It is possible to train you brain be more susceptible to learning languages. This is called Entrainment. There are various audio programs will aid you in this. The Human Plus Series from The Monroe Institutehas many programs that aid in putting you in the right mind state to learn Languages. Kelly Howell’s Holosync programs have many titles that would be beneficial as well. Paul Scheele’s Paraliminal line also has many brain entrainment offerings that will aid in increased retention, such as his Photoreading program which is most likely the best for polyglot purposes. Look into these companies and see which one of their products would best suit your overall needs in regards to language retention.

If you are really serious about supercharging your ability to learn new languages one should invest in a good CES device. CES is Cranial Electrical Stimulation. These devices send mircocurrent stimulation to the brain usually via clips that are attached to the earlobes. These mircocurrents entrain the brain in different states of consciousness. The best brain state to learn languages is in a higher Delta state of 3.5 Hz. This is the state right between being awake and being asleep therefore the only way to access this state for the purposes of learning languages is via CES. If you use audio to access this state with plans of going to your computer to work with Rosetta Stone or some other program while in state forget it you will have most likely fallen asleep. A CES device allows you to hookup the earclips and access a 3.5 Hz Delta state while you are at your computer working with the language program of your choice.

Simultaneous Study

If possible try learning a few languages at once. To do this it is best to learn languages from different languages groups simultaneously. This means avoid picking two Romance Languages like French and Spanish, or Two Semitic Languages like Arabic and Hebrew. Instead try learning French, Russian, Arabic, and Swahili at once as they are all different enough to avoid confusion. After you have a good handle on those languages then you can move on to let us say Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, and Hindi. Of course you can choose the languages that you want to learn the example given is what I am working on currently. I find that working on a few different languages helps me understand all of them better. You just want to make sure that the languages you pick for multiple simultaneous study are different enough to avoid confusion.

I hope that these tips can help you on your way to becoming a polyglot or have inspired you to want to become multilingual. Learning the languages of the world might just bring a bit more peace on Earth through the vehicle of understanding.

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Sometimes Its Cooler to be a Dork

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Languages are a passion for me. But I sat down to wonder that in modern day Britain, I haven’t seen very many people who are multilingual. Is it because they just can’t be bothered to take up a language or is it because they don’t have the need to? I happened to read somewhere that English is the language spoken by the greatest number of non-native speakers and it shocked me to read that by 2025, every Chinese person, right from the rich to the poor will be able to speak English. Even in India, a large majority of the middle class speak English incredibly fluently. But I wondered, in a country like Britain, where people chose to go on holiday every year to various destinations in Europe and abroad, why is it that most people are monolingual? Is it a sign of weakness in intelligence? A sign of not needing to? Or is it just pure human nature?

Taking up a language is meant to be one of the most helpful things. Not only does it help jog up your memory and keep it fresh, but it could even beat diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Knowing a language is seen very greatly by universities and improving your chances of getting in. For jobs it is essential if you chose to live abroad and having a language in your CV means your chances of getting a job are multiplied. It eases the process of travel a lot more because for once, you can actually understand what other say. Languages broaden knowledge about cultures and keep those cultures alive. With all of these reasons present for every one to learn a language, I wondered – is it monolingualism that is increasingly popular or is multilingualism dying out? An increase in one would mean the decrease in another. Are we just ignorant to the fact that in this world, 6912 languages exist, waiting for us to learn just one more than we are born with?

What is really shocking is that the number of people now in Britain who do continue to be illiterate in their own language, English seems barely laudable. The number of people who struggle to pass GCSE English seems quite stunning. Many people struggle to get jobs because they can’t read or write and it seems bad that we can’t do anything to change that situation.

As I wonder about languages and why people don’t speak as many languages now, I feel that personally, now we aren’t bothered to learn languages. Holiday is just relaxation time rather than trying to understand different cultures. In a world filled with stress, learning a language is last in everyone’s agenda. The advantages of learning a language are copious and multilingualism, according to me, is the way forward. Still I hope that if we can’t keep the culture of multilingualism alive, other people from other countries will continue to. After all even though languages might be different, the people of the world are united.

I’d like to finish with two witty quotes, one by Geordie Howe, an ice hockey great from Canada who said, “All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.”

The other is by Mark Twain, the famous author, “In Paris, they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language.”

Now, I am not familiar with the particular stance that Mr. Obama has on national language; still, I don’t think he has advocated changing the national language to Mandarin. So what is the problem? Forgetting about the ‘08 campaigns for a moment, I ask you this: is there a valid reason that English should be the one and only acknowledged language of the U.S.?

Immigration is a hot topic right now, so we will start by analyzing the obvious concern of many Americans. What will happen to the country if the countless Canadians crossing our borders start imposing their culture on us? Will town hall meetings start being conducted in French? Will the maple leaf replace the bald eagle as our most recognized national icon? Do the words we speak directly influence the likelihood that we institute socialized medicine?

People of every culture emigrate from their lands to seek a better life in America. Language is a key component to cultural identity and helps to make the transition of these people easier by tying together communities and maintaining consistency in the family unit. It is hard to imagine someone arguing that immigrants should abandon their native tongue entirely, yet all to often we hear the complaint, “I just wish they would learn English.” Deconstruct that sentence. Who is the language barrier harder on? The person that uttered those words is presenting his or her self in a position of superiority – it is us versus them, and they are the ones at fault.

I brought up Canada sarcastically but to emphasize a point: concerns about language tend to be concerns over power. French Canadians are not a threat to the current system, so it is laughable to imagine French speaking schools in Michigan, but South American immigrants do build communities in parts of the country and so provide a threat to the establishment. Spanish is what people are afraid of; though I would imagine there are those that are equally afraid of Mandarin, Japanese, and Hindi.

But what are people afraid of? I am a white male; I have it made; I am sure to get a good job with no glass ceiling. If all of a sudden not speaking Bengali became a detriment to my success I might be a bit miffed. So I get why my kind could be biased. Is anyone else really worried about this? Does anyone believe that formally recognizing that other manners of speech exist is a danger to the fabric of society?

It should be granted that history would answer “yes” to that question. The past several times that a region in the United States changed its spoken language also saw a change in the ownership of that region. I am talking about the acquisitions of the southwest from Mexico, Louisiana from France, and the entire country from its native peoples. But, with those exceptions, does language really play that big a role in things?

I wanted to throw this in there: Louisiana Creole. I”m not sure exactly what I wanted to prove with that, but no one I ever met in Oregon ever complained about Louisiana Creole.

Europe does not get hung up on language the same way America does. Look at Switzerland, the ever-neutral nation of Nazi gold and chocolate. They speak everything in Switzerland; from Italian and French, to German and Cow Latin (an ancient and otherwise forgotten language derivative of Pig Latin), the Swiss horde language like they horde toothpicks and nail files in their spiffy red pocketknives. It makes little sense to compare the U.S. of A. and Switzerland, but the important thing to note is that many countries officially recognize multiple languages. Moreover, ninety percent of European schoolchildren learn English as a second language, and nine European countries claim that more than half of their population can hold a conversation in English.

I don’t know the percentage of multilingual (English as a first language) Americans, but do you think it is anywhere near fifty percent? Conversely, nearly twenty percent of Americans speak a second language at home.

It might be beneficial to Americans to start becoming worldlier. Comprehension of linguistics not only strengthens communication skills, but also helps solidify work ethic in learning environments.

So, should English be our one and only language? Note that the federal government does not recognize any language, and three states are officially bilingual (Louisiana, New Mexico, and Hawaii). What would it even mean if the government was to rule on a national language? If we were put on the books as having two, or even three officially spoken words? Would it be giving “them” a foot in the door? Or might it instead indicate that we are finally ready to join the rest of the world stage?