Definition of a Polyglot

General discussion about learning languages
User avatar
rdearman
Site Admin
Posts: 7231
Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 4:18 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: English (N)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1836
x 23128
Contact:

Definition of a Polyglot

Postby rdearman » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:53 pm

This will probably kick up some arguments, but I'm going to go for it anyway. I was looking up the definition of POLYGLOT and found some of these definitions on "reputable" dictionary sites.

Merriam-Webster says it is: one who is polyglot. This annoyed me, I don't know who writes dictionaries nowadays, but my 6th grade English teacher taught me you cannot use the word you are defining in the definition of a word. Because, lets face it, it isn't helpful if you don't already know the meaning.

Cambridge Dictionary would make my 6th grade teacher a bit happier with: someone who can speak or use several different languages. However, the Cambridge Dictionary definition of several is some; an amount that is not exact but is fewer than many. So clear as mud. Their definition of many? a large number (of), or a lot (of):

Oxford Learners Dictionary give us: knowing, using, or written in more than one language, although this apparently is an American English definition.

Collins Dictionaries tells us that A polyglot is a person who speaks or understands many languages. So how do they define many? You use many to indicate that you are talking about a large number of people or things.

OK, so it seems many is slightly less than a large number of languages. So what is a large number? The only reference I could find with a decent definition was Wikipedia:
Large numbers are numbers that are significantly larger than those typically used in everyday life (for instance in simple counting or in monetary transactions), appearing frequently in fields such as mathematics, cosmology, cryptography, and statistical mechanics. The term typically refers to large positive integers, or more generally, large positive real numbers, but it may also be used in other contexts. The study of nomenclature and properties of large numbers is sometimes called googology


Excellent! So I'll get the definition of a large number from googology the study of large numbers. So, what is a large number?

Googologist Sbiis Saibian has defined a large number as: a large number is any real number greater than 1, Small numbers would be those smaller than 1.

So.... many, or large numbers are anything greater than 1. So a polyglot is anyone who speaks, writes, uses, more than one language. Note that the proficiency of usage isn't a determining factor here.

BTW, this all came up because someone called me a polyglot and I was going to prove them wrong. :lol:
7 x
: 0 / 150 Read 150 books in 2024

My YouTube Channel
The Autodidactic Podcast
My Author's Newsletter

I post on this forum with mobile devices, so excuse short msgs and typos.

User avatar
tungemål
Blue Belt
Posts: 947
Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2019 3:56 pm
Location: Norway
Languages: Norwegian (N)
English, German, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Polish
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17672
x 2181

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby tungemål » Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:19 pm

many = 3

Some languages have not only singular and plural verb forms, but also dual. But none has 'trial'(?), I think? One guy speaks languages, two guys speak, and many people speak.
0 x

sirgregory
Orange Belt
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:22 pm
Location: USA
Languages: Speaks: English (N), Spanish
Studies: German, French
x 615

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby sirgregory » Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:46 pm

One of the definitions in my dictionary is "a mixture or confusion of languages." I think I might be able to qualify under that definition.
6 x

jimmy
Green Belt
Posts: 396
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:08 pm
Languages: ...
x 182

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby jimmy » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:00 pm

hi rdearman :) as mathematician, I can assure that there would be no such a description for numbers as you indicated in the iterature of math.

that would more suit rather general aggrement to me and as of my quick search from the net , both poly and glot are based on old greek/latin.

remember please from our high school lessons (biology) what were polysakkarides ?
they were mainly triple sugars (carbonhydrates).

so, both from the side of simple lingual approach and the accordance of daily routine, it will contain "the knowledge of (at least) three languages")

:)
1 x
Self Taught - Autodidactic

User avatar
rdearman
Site Admin
Posts: 7231
Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 4:18 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: English (N)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1836
x 23128
Contact:

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby rdearman » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:06 pm

jimmy wrote:hi rdearman :) as mathematician, I can assure that there would be no such a description for numbers as you indicated in the iterature of math.

that would more suit rather general aggrement to me and as of my quick search from the net , both poly and glot are based on old greek/latin.

remember please from our high school lessons (biology) what were polysakkarides ?
they were mainly triple sugars (carbonhydrates).

so, both from the side of simple lingual approach and the accordance of daily routine, it will contain "the knowledge of (at least) three languages")

:)

I am not a mathematician, I'm only going by what I can find on the internet. But here is the site for Googologist Sbiis Saibian who is a mathematician and "megalo-arithmologist" (whatever the hell that is) https://sites.google.com/site/largenumbers/

Yes, they are Ancient Greek words. Poly means "many" and glot means "tongue" or language.
0 x
: 0 / 150 Read 150 books in 2024

My YouTube Channel
The Autodidactic Podcast
My Author's Newsletter

I post on this forum with mobile devices, so excuse short msgs and typos.

BeaP
Green Belt
Posts: 405
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2021 8:18 am
Languages: Hungarian (N), English, German, Spanish, French, Italian
x 1990

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby BeaP » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:09 pm

I'd say that a polyglot is a person who can use at least three languages comfortably. For me this is C1-C2 level in all 4 skills. Those who can use two are bilingual, and then come those who are multilingual or polyglots. I think it's important that in the original sense of the word a polyglot is not necessarily a learner. One can become a polyglot with a French father and an Italian mother for example, living and studying in Germany. Another aspect is that the word's meaning has changed recently (or got a second meaning) denoting those learners who don't necessarily speak any foreign language comfortably but share their learning routine and propose learning techniques in some way.

I don't know how comfortably you use your languages, but in the second meaning of the word you are a polyglot, seeing that you study multiple languages and you have a youtube channel and a forum.
Last edited by BeaP on Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
4 x

jimmy
Green Belt
Posts: 396
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:08 pm
Languages: ...
x 182

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby jimmy » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:16 pm

rdearman wrote:
jimmy wrote:hi rdearman :) as mathematician, I can assure that there would be no such a description for numbers as you indicated in the iterature of math.

that would more suit rather general aggrement to me and as of my quick search from the net , both poly and glot are based on old greek/latin.

remember please from our high school lessons (biology) what were polysakkarides ?
they were mainly triple sugars (carbonhydrates).

so, both from the side of simple lingual approach and the accordance of daily routine, it will contain "the knowledge of (at least) three languages")

:)

I am not a mathematician, I'm only going by what I can find on the internet. But here is the site for Googologist Sbiis Saibian who is a mathematician and "megalo-arithmologist" (whatever the hell that is) https://sites.google.com/site/largenumbers/

Yes, they are Ancient Greek words. Poly means "many" and glot means "tongue" or language.


as I overview,I predict that was a blog.
I saw a point which seems like important to me at one section of that website:

DISCLAIMER



One to Infinity is an imperfect and incomplete work. It is offered here to the public on a strictly "as is" basis with no guarantee to the complete veracity of all the information contained here in, nor with any guarantee to not contain any typographical, grammatical, orthographic, computational, graphical, or formatting errors. Lastly the Large Number Site is not guaranteed to display correctly on all devices, platforms, operating systems, or browsers
0 x
Self Taught - Autodidactic

User avatar
Henkkles
Green Belt
Posts: 277
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:13 pm
Languages: N FI | A EN SV | I EE RU | B FR LN
x 796

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby Henkkles » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:17 pm

Maybe a polyglot should be someone who deliberately learns (has learned) multiple languages without any overt need or use, being able to function without these languages? That would "ring in" the language interest and fascination aspect that I feel is crucial to the term. There are several people who competently use multiple languages but are not really interested in the languages per se, but acquired and learned them to do some kind of purpose. I don't know, just my $0.02.
5 x

jimmy
Green Belt
Posts: 396
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:08 pm
Languages: ...
x 182

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby jimmy » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:22 pm

BeaP wrote:I'd say that a polyglot is a person who can use at least three languages comfortably. For me this is C1-C2 level in all 4 skills. Those who can use two are bilingual, and then come those who are multilingual or polyglots. I think it's important that in the original sense of the word a polyglot is not necessarily a learner. One can become a polyglot with a French father and an Italian mother for example, living and studying in Germany. Another aspect is that the word's meaning has changed recently (or got a second meaning) denoting those learners who don't necessarily speak any foreign language comfortably but share their learning routine and propose learning techniques in some way.

I tend to disagree to this comment.
one can be even C2 at reading but not even B2 at listening , at top values this range may be broader.
I remember approximately 5 years ago I had opened a thread like this "will it be a void study if..." and the editor had changed that.
I was just mentioning this point. whether it would be void experience if we assume that we had knowledge to understand any language at level C1-C2 but could not speak it.

please also consider this point: there are not only "living languages" , but also some specific languages that none these days speaks while they really exist.
2 x
Self Taught - Autodidactic

Cosimo
White Belt
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2022 11:17 am
Location: Milano
Languages: I speak Italian.
I'm trying to learn UK English
x 25

Re: Definition of a Polyglot

Postby Cosimo » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:35 pm

I think that polyglot is a word that mean generally you know more than 1 lenguage at the level of your mother tongue, if you know at last 2 lenguages you are both bilingual then polyglot, in this case bilingual tell you more things than the word polyglot, in fact bilingual tell you the number of lenguage you know.
0 x
Please, correct my English mistakes. :)


Return to “General Language Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests