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Across the globe, millions of people, even in predominantly monolingual countries like the United States, speak multiple languages at home. It is quite common to be fluent in three languages, and we've all heard of elders who learned four or five languages while migrating to new countries. In India, it’s typical to navigate daily life using five or six different languages. But what about mastering ten, twenty, thirty, or even a hundred languages? Is there a definitive limit to how many languages one can acquire?
In his insightful book Babel No More, Michael Erard embarks on a journey to meet hyperpolyglots—individuals who learn and speak a vast number of languages. He reveals the secrets behind their success and explores why it's difficult to pinpoint an exact number of languages one can know. Among the hyperpolyglots he encounters are:
Graham Cansdale, fluent in 14 languages. Cansdale professionally uses all 14 languages as a translator for the European Commission in Brussels. He has studied even more languages throughout his career.
Lomb Kató, 16 languages. This Hungarian polyglot mentioned that five of these languages "lived inside" her. Another five required at least half a day of review to be reactivated, while with the remaining six, she was able to translate. She emphasized that confidence was essential in language learning. Her advice? "Be firmly convinced you are a linguistic genius."
Alexander Arguelles, approximately 20 languages. Arguelles refuses to specify the exact number. "If someone tells you how many languages they speak, then you shouldn't trust them," he advises. Having studied over 60 languages, he dedicates 9 hours daily to his studies. He claims reading competence in twenty of those languages.
Johan Vandewalle, 22 languages. In 1987, Vandewalle won the Polyglot of Flanders contest, where he was tested in 22 languages (though he has studied even more). The contest involved 10-minute conversations with native speakers, with 5-minute breaks in between.
Ken Hale, 50 languages. The renowned MIT linguist claimed to "speak" only three languages (English, Spanish, Warlpiri), but could "talk in" others. He believed that speaking a language involved understanding its cultural context. Despite many colleagues observing him study Finnish grammar on an airplane and easily speaking it upon arrival, he disliked the "myth" of his linguistic feats being exaggerated.
Emil Krebs, 32 to 68 languages. The exact number varies depending on the source. A German diplomat who worked in China, Krebs had such an extraordinary linguistic talent that after his death, his brain was preserved for further study.
Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, 40 to 72 languages. One of his biographers detailed his abilities: he had 14 languages he studied but never used, 11 in which he could converse, 9 he spoke with almost perfect fluency and flawless accent, and 30 languages (from 11 distinct language families) which he had fully mastered.
The stories surrounding Mezzofanti’s linguistic abilities are so remarkable they might be more myth than fact. Yet, Michael Erard’s exploration of hyperpolyglots reveals that with the right blend of natural talent, motivation, and diligence, extraordinary feats are possible. Erard spoke with psycholinguists who stated there was "no theoretical limit to the number of languages one could learn," with only the constraint of time.
Despite their remarkable skills, most hyperpolyglots are hesitant to claim knowledge of more than a few dozen languages. This is because they have a more nuanced definition of "knowing" a language than the general public. Their humility grows from their expertise: the more they know, the more aware they are of what they don't know. For most hyperpolyglots, 15 languages seems to be the upper limit they’re comfortable claiming. Even so, the 30 or so other languages they may know at a lesser level are probably still better than your high school Spanish.
