Not much today—between final projects and bronchitis, I’m wiped.
But here I am, and today with a throwback and a preview on something I haven’t touched on much yet—the huge role languages play in my life, over and above being in a Greek & Latin PhD program. Being a polyglot/multilingual is fundamental to my life’s story. If you haven’t read my “polyglot autobiography” yet, you can find it here. I’m proud of it and of finding a strong work ethic and vocation through languages after years of a self-image as “that ‘smart’ kid who coasts and can’t dedicate themselves to things.”
What polyglots are asked vs. what we actually know about
I wrote a piece a while ago, now reposted on my blog, on the instrumental view of languages—languages as tools—versus how I see them: sure, they’re instruments, but musical ones. We who have spent time with many have stories about each, and at least in my case, I prefer to connect over my stories than my stats. It’ll probably be more useful, too.
So what do most polyglots share, besides languages? Hint: we don’t have any special genius—and that myth is so harmful in discouraging folks from starting up a new language!
In an upcoming follow-up, I’ll argue that we can (and would love to!) help with:
Permission & strategies to make it fun: I don’t watch TV in English—nothing against it morally, I just prefer to read and do other things. But boy, do I revel in some truly terrible telenovelas when I want to learn some Spanish slang. I don’t watch true crime shows…but I definitely blasted through Tatort Berlin. Sometimes I’m in “study mode"—so I can talk with you about when and how the right textbook is useful—but mostly, I know how to make language learning really fun, and I give you permission to do the same…
Habits: I’m not great at keeping up habits and routines in general. Sometimes I’ll even keep up a habit, like a journaling or gratitude practice, for weeks at a time, think I have it installed, then abruptly quit. BUT: my tracker says I haven’t missed a day of my French practice in 91 days. I’ve developed strategies to work with how my brain is and still get in the reps for language practice, casting a vote for who I am (a polyglot) each time I do.
And my language learning superpower? Not genius. Not special aptitude. Complete shamelessness in making mistakes, and a love of beginner’s mind. Some folks hate being grown and sounding like a young child in a new language. For me it’s freeing: engaging my simpler emotions, unable to dwell in analysis paralysis, and experiencing a fresh joy at tiny signs of progress and new morsels of language acquired.
(And again, that’s pretty specific to languages for me. I’m a total perfectionist in my professional writing, care way too much about what people think of me in general…but possibly—even head-on intentionally—making a fool of myself to connect in a new language? I’ve never regretted it.)
See you next week, and stay well— Jacobus
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