Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners

Michael Erard

Jan 2012 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this eBook

A “fascinating” (The Economist) dive into the world of linguistics that is “part travelogue, part science lesson, part intellectual investigation…an entertaining, informative survey of some of the most fascinating polyglots of our time” (The New York Times Book Review).

In Babel No More, Michael Erard, “a monolingual with benefits,” sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like the nineteenth-century Italian cardinal Joseph Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages, as well as those of living language-superlearners such as Alexander Arguelles, a modern-day polyglot who knows dozens of languages and shows Erard the tricks of the trade to give him a dark glimpse into the life of obsessive language acquisition.

With his ambitious examination of what language is, where it lives in the brain, and the cultural implications of polyglots’ pursuits, Erard explores the upper limits of our ability to learn and use languages and illuminates the intellectual potential in everyone. How do some people escape the curse of Babel—and what might the gods have demanded of them in return?

Ratings and reviews

Far beyond a "how to learn many languages book" or a scholarly polyglot hit parade ranking statistical analysis study, Michael Erard's "Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners" is a seminal literary jewel providing a fascinating and demystifying journey into the realm of modern hyper-polyglottery. With great wondered curiosity, tact, insight, and without being tied down by the need to test any particular hypothesis Erard embarks upon a journey intent on explore what hyper-polyglots actually do language-wise and how do they do it. Mr. Erard goes to Bologna in the Mezzofanti library to study arguably the most accomplished recorded polyglot of all time. He goes to great lengths to examine primary source written accounts as well as artifacts to see which parts of his mythical stature measure up to remaining evidence. The results are fascinating. Armed with a perfect balance of curiosity, wonder, and skepticism Erard also travels around the world to meet currently living hyper-polyglots. These exchanges are interesting not only for what is said but also for what remains unsaid. Much of the little of what is known about living and deceased hyper-polyglots is shrouded in myth. Correctly identifying modern hyper-polyglots let alone exploring their cognitive styles is difficult. "Knowing a language" from a speaking, listening, reading, or writing perspective may involve knowing a single word at one extreme or functioning as a university educated native speaker at the other. It is difficult to discern whether a hyper-polyglot has merely studied or matured some familiarity with many languages or dialects as opposed to having cultivated a working practical conversational ability over a lifetime in response to their environment. To complicate matters further a unified reliable scientific universal proficiency testing mechanism does not exist. Even with the availability of many different language examinations few hyper-polyglot abilities are tested and rarely public conversation events denoting hyper-polyglot abilities are recorded. This book provides us with a very strong literary base to validate who some of the leading hyper-polyglots are, analyze their communicative abilities, and explore their learning styles. Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti (1774-1849) who constantly met with dignitaries from all over the world throughout his life is documented to have had strong conversational abilities in at least a dozen languages and was probably able to carry on simple formal prepared conversations (giving the impression of fluency) in possibly thirty more. Despite this incredible prowess, through artifacts Erard is able to show that at least some of his learning techniques were quite "normal". Emil Krebs (1867-1930), another high level diplomat who benefitted from an extensive international career stands out for he was documented to be conversationally proficient in Chinese and eight other languages. Alexander Arguelles a currently living hyper-polyglot is another fascinating figure. Asides from nurturing conversational fluency in several languages he has undertaken an aggressive study regimen regarding countless others throughout his career as an academic. Ziad Fazah despite his claims of "knowing" a number of languages that would put Cardinal Mezzofanti to shame is also a figure worthy of study by virtue of his fluency in many European languages and Arabic. Erard also meets with Derrick Herning and Johan Vanderville who in part due to growing up in multilingual regions were able to win the 1990 and 1987 editions of the Polyglot of Europe contest respectively. Another group referenced in this book comprised of myself (US Department of Defense), Gregg Cox (US Department of Defense), Graham Cansdale (European Commission), and Helen Abadzi (World Trade Organization) explores documented hyper-polyglot abilities among people with a professional language learning background as part study and part natural byproduct of spending one's life

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About the author

Michael Erard has graduate degrees in linguistics and rhetoric from the University of Texas at Austin. He’s written about language, linguists, and linguistics for Wired, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and many other publications and is a contributing writer for The Texas Observer and Design Observer. He is the author of Um…: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean.