Las Desventajas de ser Políglota y/o Lingüista | ¿Valió la pena el esfuerzo?

Wissbegierde

23 Feb 202310:05

Summary

TLDRThe video script humorously explores the life of a polyglot, highlighting the intense study routines and the resulting social and linguistic challenges. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of being multilingual, including the potential for mix-ups in one's native language, the ability to connect with people globally, and the constant need for practice. The speaker emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach to learning languages to avoid burnout and suggests that while being a polyglot has its benefits, it requires patience and a strategic plan for effective language acquisition.

Takeaways

😄 The speaker humorously exaggerates studying 21 hours a day to become multilingual but admits it's not a realistic approach.
🌐 Being multilingual comes with both advantages and disadvantages, and it requires sacrifices, such as time and social life.
🤔 Speaking many languages can lead to mistakes in one's native language due to pattern confusion from different linguistic structures.
🗣️ The speaker mentions that speaking quickly and abbreviating words, common in languages like Portuguese, can cause misunderstandings in Spanish where such habits are not typical.
💬 Having multiple languages can provide conversation topics, especially when interacting with people from different cultures.
📝 The downside of being multilingual includes the tendency to forget words or spelling in one's native language due to the influence of other languages.
🎭 The speaker jokes about a multilingual advantage in performing beatbox, highlighting the use of consonants without vowels.
📚 Being asked to translate frequently by others can be a disadvantage, as people often underestimate the complexity and effort involved in translation.
🎬 The ability to watch movies in any language is a perk of being multilingual, bypassing language barriers in accessing content.
🌍 Practicing languages regularly is essential to maintain fluency, which might seem like a lack of social life but can be integrated into daily activities.
🌸 Making friends from around the world is a significant advantage of being multilingual, although it can be challenging when visas expire and distance separates friends.
🧠 The cognitive benefits of being multilingual include improved decision-making and flexibility, although it doesn't necessarily make one more intelligent.
🔥 The risk of burnout is real for polyglots who push themselves too hard to learn languages, which can be detrimental to mental health.
🚀 Learning languages becomes faster over time for polyglots as they understand how languages work similarly and can apply this knowledge to new languages.
🌏 Traveling without communication barriers and gaining wisdom and open-mindedness are among the rewards of being multilingual, making the effort worthwhile.

Q & A

What is the speaker's humorous take on the effort required to become multilingual?
-The speaker humorously exaggerates by saying they studied 21 hours a day, focusing on various languages, which led to a hypothetical aneurysm, to emphasize the intense effort it might seem to require to become multilingual.
What are some of the disadvantages of being a polyglot mentioned in the script?
-Some disadvantages include the tendency to mix up languages, leading to mistakes in one's native language, forgetting words, and the expectation from others to constantly translate for them.
How does the speaker describe the experience of mixing up words from different languages?
-The speaker explains that due to the irregularities in language patterns and having many languages in mind, polyglots might start to make mistakes like saying 'volvido' instead of 'vuelto' in their native language.
What is the advantage of having a conversation topic when meeting people from different countries?
-The advantage is that being multilingual can provide a conversation starter, as one can use the fact of speaking multiple languages to engage with people from different countries.
Why does the speaker mention that being a polyglot can affect their writing skills in other languages?
-The speaker mentions that their orthography has deteriorated due to the influence of languages like Portuguese, Italian, and Galician, which can lead to forgetting how to write words correctly even in English or French.
What is the humorous advantage of being a polyglot that the speaker mentions?
-The speaker jokingly mentions that being a polyglot can help one become good at Beatboxing, as it involves the use of consonants without vowels, which polyglots are familiar with due to their knowledge of different languages.
How does the speaker describe the common misconception about polyglots?
-The speaker points out that a common misconception is that polyglots do not have a social life and spend all their time studying, which is not true according to the speaker's own experience.
What is the advantage of being able to watch movies in any language?
-The advantage is that polyglots can enjoy movies in languages other than their own, even if the movie is not available in their native language on popular platforms like Netflix or Amazon.
What is the speaker's opinion on the necessity of constant practice for polyglots?
-The speaker believes that while polyglots do need to practice, it does not necessarily mean they have to sacrifice social media or time with friends, but rather incorporate language practice into their daily activities.
What is the speaker's view on the benefits of being a polyglot for cognitive flexibility and decision-making?
-The speaker suggests that being a polyglot may improve cognitive flexibility and decision-making, although they do not claim it makes one more intelligent, but rather it helps one understand how their brain works.
What does the speaker warn about in terms of the potential for burnout when trying to learn multiple languages?
-The speaker warns about the risk of burnout, describing their own experience of studying intensively to the point of physical discomfort, and advises against such extreme study habits.
What are some of the final advantages of being a polyglot that the speaker lists?
-The final advantages listed by the speaker include the ability to learn languages more quickly, the freedom to travel without communication barriers, gaining wisdom, and developing a more open mindset.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Struggle and Dedication of Becoming a Polyglot

The speaker humorously describes an extreme attempt to become a polyglot, suggesting they studied for 21 hours a day, focusing on various languages and skills such as Chinese calligraphy, Hindi insults, Italian speech, Japanese input, Czech pronunciation, French poetry, and even Kelen writing. This dedication, however, led to a brain aneurysm, symbolizing the sacrifices and effort involved in language learning. The paragraph discusses the trade-offs between social life and study time, questioning if becoming a polyglot is worth the effort and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of being multilingual.

05:02

🗣️ The Pros and Cons of Multilingualism: Personal Experiences

The speaker shares personal experiences and insights about the challenges and benefits of being a polyglot. They mention the tendency to mix up languages, leading to mistakes in one's native language, and the difficulty of adjusting to different speaking speeds and informal language use across cultures. The paragraph also touches on the social advantage of having conversation topics with foreigners and the downside of forgetting words or vocabulary in various languages, including English and French. Additionally, it humorously points out the ability to do beatbox due to knowledge of different languages and the constant need for practice to maintain language proficiency.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Polyglot

A polyglot is an individual who can speak, read, and write multiple languages fluently. In the video script, the term is used to describe the speaker's experience and journey in learning various languages. The concept of being a polyglot is central to the video's theme, as it discusses the advantages and disadvantages of mastering multiple languages.

💡Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts or to think about multiple concepts simultaneously. The script mentions that being a polyglot may enhance cognitive flexibility, suggesting that multilingual individuals might have an improved decision-making process. This concept ties into the broader discussion of the benefits of language learning on the brain.

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion often caused by excessive and prolonged stress. The script describes the speaker's experience with burnout as a result of intense language study, illustrating the potential downside of pushing oneself too hard in the pursuit of polyglot abilities.

💡Language Patterns

Language patterns refer to the regular structures or rules that govern the formation of words in a language, such as verb conjugation. The script uses the example of irregular verbs in English to explain how knowing multiple languages can sometimes lead to mistakes in one's native language due to pattern interference.

💡Social Life

Social life encompasses the interactions, relationships, and activities that an individual engages in with others. The video script humorously suggests that becoming a polyglot might require giving up one's social life due to the time-intensive nature of language learning, although it later refutes this notion.

💡Beatbox

Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. The script humorously connects beatboxing to linguistics, suggesting that knowledge of phonetics and the ability to produce various consonants could enable a polyglot to engage in beatboxing.

💡Cognitive Decline

Cognitive decline refers to a decrease in cognitive abilities, such as memory and language skills. The script mentions that the speaker has experienced forgetfulness in their native language due to the influence of learning multiple languages, which can be seen as a form of cognitive decline in specific areas.

💡Language Mixing

Language mixing, or code-switching, is the practice of alternating between two or more languages in conversation. The script describes instances where the speaker has inadvertently mixed languages, such as using Spanish words in English sentences, due to their polyglot nature.

💡Translation Requests

Translation requests refer to the act of asking someone to convert text from one language to another. The script highlights the common misconception that polyglots or linguists can easily and freely provide translations, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and requests from others.

💡Cultural Exchange

Cultural exchange is the act of sharing and experiencing different cultures through interaction. The script touches on the idea that being a polyglot allows for deeper connections with friends from around the world, facilitating cultural exchange and understanding.

💡Learning Curve

A learning curve represents the relationship between experience and performance in a given activity. The script suggests that the speaker realized all languages function similarly, which could imply a learning curve where the more languages one knows, the easier it becomes to learn additional ones.

Highlights

The speaker humorously describes an exaggerated attempt to become multilingual, studying 21 hours a day and experiencing an aneurysm as a result.

Being multilingual has its downsides, suggesting that it might require giving up social life and studying excessively.

The speaker admits to never studying 21 hours a day and discusses the real challenges and benefits of being multilingual.

Mistakes in one's native language can occur due to the influence of learning multiple languages and their irregular patterns.

Friends of the speaker, who are also multilingual, have mistakenly used words from other languages, blending them with their native tongue.

The speaker discusses the challenge of adapting to different languages' speaking speeds and the informality in Spanish compared to English, French, or Portuguese.

Having a conversation with foreigners can be facilitated by the ability to speak multiple languages, providing a conversation topic.

The downside of being multilingual includes the tendency to forget words and the deterioration of one's native language due to the influence of other languages.

The speaker humorously suggests that being multilingual could help with beatboxing due to the knowledge of phonetics.

Being asked to translate constantly by others is a downside of being seen as a linguist or polyglot.

The advantage of being able to watch movies in any language, overcoming the barrier of language when content is not available in one's native language.

The need for constant practice is highlighted as a challenge for polyglots, comparing it to the time spent on social media apps.

Making friends from around the world is a significant advantage of being multilingual, as showcased by the speaker's Korean friend.

The downside of having friends from all over the world includes the difficulty of maintaining those friendships due to visa expirations and financial constraints.

Being multilingual is said to improve cognitive flexibility and decision-making, though the speaker humorously questions their own decision-making skills.

The speaker warns about the risk of burnout from intense language study, sharing a personal anecdote from the beginning of 2020.

Learning multiple languages can lead to a better understanding of how one's brain works and the most effective learning methods for the individual.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of not comparing oneself to others in the language learning journey and avoiding burnout.

As a polyglot, the speaker finds that all languages work similarly, allowing for faster learning of new languages over time.

The advantages of being multilingual include the ability to travel without communication barriers, gaining wisdom, and having a more open mindset.

The speaker reflects on their journey of learning languages, from starting at 16 to realizing at 23 that all languages function similarly.

The video concludes with recommendations for other videos on the channel that explain how languages work similarly and tips for easy and fast language learning.