lovelanguages Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 I really don't know much about this, I'm just really curious. The way I see it, there is a lot of potential for confusion when you learn similar languages, such as French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Linguaholics, do you think that there is a point where you cannot learn any more languages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lushlala Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 I think that would depend wholly on the individual, and that being said, the number will differ from person to person. There are people who simply can't learn a language that's foreign to them. Yet there are others who seem to have this knack of picking up languages with apparent ease. I honestly don't know when the ability to pick up a language would slow down. Maybe those with an aptitude for languages could just keep going until their mental capacity, perhaps due to the ageing process, slowed down. It'll be interesting to see how other members tackle this question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trellum Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 It depends on the person, I have heard of people who speak even 25 languages. I think the brain has an amazing potential and capacity, and it's up to the person to use it to the fullest. Some people have a natural ability to learn languages There are no limits for some people when it comes to language learning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtledove Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Agreed, it totally depends on the individual and the opportunities they've had during life. Some people are exposed to many different languages from a very young age, and have an advantage over others from the very beginning. Some people are so passionate about languages that they strive to keep up as many languages as they can at one time. Other people are just happy with being fluent in one language. Different people have different opinions on languages, and for some people, the number of languages they can learn is limitless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lushlala Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 I agree that it also ties in with passion and a deep seated interest in languages, actually wanting to learn. It's also true that some people are very fortunate to be exposed very early on in their lives to different cultures and languages, so that it becomes almost inevitable to learn all the languages around them. They are so lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booklover22 Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 I think that since everyone learns differently then it all depends on who that person is. I mean I'm sure that there are people out there who know a ton a languages because they can keep track of it. Then there are other people out there who aren't able to do that. They have a hard time trying to keep track of all the words and stuff like that. So, I think that it all depends on the person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorieHens Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 I have read of several people who are linguists. Our teacher in high school said that John F. Kennedy knew 5 languages. Our national hero, Jose Rizal, also knew many languages like Spanish, English, German, French and some others I don't remember. Maybe learning so many language has no limit provided that language is being used. Otherwise the learner will just forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lushlala Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 I know that football manager also tend to learn several languages as they move around the world managing different teams in their host countries. English Roy Hodgson speaks five languages fluently – Norwegian, Swedish, Japanese, German and Italian. Hodgson even speaks a bit of Korean, Danish and Finnish. The man is very clever and clearly has an aptitude for languages. Wherever he goes, he seems to soak up the language! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmb Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 I don't know if there's a limit but I certainly know that some people have an affinity for picking up languages. I also know quite a few people that speak multiple languages and have said that once you know one different language, it's almost easier to learn more - I suppose you pick up certain associations, certain methods of learning too.For me though, I struggle enough with my mother tongue that I'd be happy enough to know ONE extra language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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