Why Do Polyglots Learn So Many Languages?

Polyglots are able to learn a lot of languages, but why do they do this?

The truth is there are a million different reasons why. Every polyglot will have a different reason and while it’s impossible to tell you them all, I will go through some of the more common ones below.

However, when you really look at it, they are just normal people and they will have all the same reasons that you are I might have for wanting to learn a language, it’s just that they want to do it with multiple languages. You will probably find that they learn one language for one reason, and another language for a different reason, everyone is different so if you find your reasons for wanting to learn a language are different, that’s okay. 

Polyglots Like To Learn Languages

I think if you dig deep enough, you will find that every polyglot’s real reason for learning so many languages is just because they love it.

They find the whole process interesting and they genuinely find it fun. Language learning is basically a hobby for them. We all have hobbies and these can often end up like more of a lifestyle, which is exactly how polyglots see language. They like the process of learning and they like that they can make languages a part of their life.

It is very satisfying when you start to understand a new language, so I can see how they would want to do this over and over again.

They Were Born Into Languages

Some polyglots will be born into environments that are just set up for language learning. Some people have parents that speak different languages to where they are living and this allows them to have access to different languages before then even realise what is going on.

Once they get a little older they realise how cool it is to know more than one language and they start getting interested in different languages than the ones they already know.

It is quite common for polyglots to be raised bilingual, but not always. It is certainly a great advantage, but it’s not necessary so if you want to become a polyglot but didn’t have this advantage as a kid, that’s fine, you can still learn many languages, they just have a head start on you. 

They Are Interested In Culture

You will find that culture is usually what lures in a lot of people into learning a language. Culture and language are often very closely related so it’s only a natural progression to start learning a language once you discover a culture.

This seems to be a common theme among polyglots. They just seem to be open to learning about new cultures and then the next thing they know they have started learning the language too.    

They Are Interested In How Language Works

When you find out how languages work, they can be extremely interesting. Some polyglots like to learn many languages as they are just fascinated with the differences between languages.

This does include grammar, so I know not everyone agrees with this, but you have to admit it is interesting to see how similar languages work in similar ways and then it can be even more interesting when you start looking at more distant languages that do things in a totally different way.

This goes back to my first point that polyglots like to learn languages for a hobby, very often a lot of the hobby is just trying to understand how the languages work, more than using it for a particular reason.

This is why some polyglots end up learning very obscure languages, they just like how the language is structured and want to study it for this reason.   

They Want To Travel

As I have already mentioned, polyglots usually like culture and this leads them to the language. A lot of the time that culture is found through travelling, or at least a desire to travel more.

Once you are actually in a place, the urge to learn about the culture and the language gets much stronger and you will find that a lot of polyglots are well travelled and their addiction to learning languages actually started when they were travelling.

Their love of languages actually makes them want to travel more too, which usually leads them to discovering even more cultures and languages.

They Want To Make Friends

Language is used to communicate, which means we can make friends and build relationships with new people in different parts of the world. A lot of polyglots will tell you that they started learning a language because they met someone who could speak the language already and they just wanted to communicate with them a little better. 

Maybe this was to be friends, or maybe a little more, but either way that desire to connect with people on a deeper level is a really good reason to start learning and it is often what gets people started with a language.

They Do It For Business

There are number of polyglots who learn many languages for business. This can be for their own business, or because they want to work for a company and they will usually end up doing things like international sales or being a translator …or maybe something more exciting like being a spy!

Either way, knowing a second language can be very helpful in business, so I’m sure knowing a handful of languages would extremely helpful. 

(You can read more about – Getting A Job With Your Second Language)

Conclusion

As you can see there are sorts of different reason why a polyglot may learn languages and there will be many more I haven’t even covered here.

Basically if they think it is worthwhile and see some form of value in it, they will do it. Which is exactly how you should look at any language you want to learn. If you think it is worth your time, for whatever reason, then do it! 

(You can read more about – How Are Polyglots Able To Learn So Many Languages? (What Are They Doing Differently))