Michael Erard quotes
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“Hyperpolyglots are not born, and they are not made, but they are born to be made. There is a finite subset of the human population which has the right neurological equipment for learning and using lots of languages. That equipment may serve only a sub-component of language learning, such as mimicry, pattern recognition, or memory, or it serves those sub-components in a global fashion.”
-- Michael Erard -
“Those who become hyperpolyglots are those who meet two criteria. One, they are exposed to language material. Two, they undertake learning languages as a mission as well as acquiring the personal identity as a language learner.I describe the "neural tribe theory" of hyperpolyglots, arguing that they possess an atypical neurology that is selected by some environments and not others; presumably, there have always been humans walking around with that set of neurological traits or factors, only some of whom actually use those things for languages.”
-- Michael Erard -
“The globalized environment where speaking a lot of languages is rewarded and getting access to learning materials is easier. A talent for massive language learning has not been supported by the environment until very recently, so this is a phenomenon that is going to become more common and more visible.”
-- Michael Erard
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Source : "Tools Of Speech" by Maturin M. Ballou, (p. 115), 1886.
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“I don't really go to fashion parties; they're not my scene.”
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“We had our thing. It is a really good memory but now we're older. Things change.”
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Source : Rosemary Altea (2008). “A Matter of Life and Death: Remarkable True Stories of Hope and Healing”, p.203, Penguin
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