Linguamania - How many languages are too many?

A new year has started and many language learners are setting their goals of which language to learn in 2018. My goal is actually to not add another language in 2018, but this resolution already went out the window on the second day of this year.

In the book “Teach Yourself - To Learn A Language” by P. J. T. Glendening from 1965 I found an interesting paragraph about the so-called Linguamania that means “becoming so taken with the idea of learning languages that you are unable to devote more than a few days to a new language before you leave it (“temporarily”) to take up another one. The usual result is a vague smattering of a few languages, absolutely no knowledge of others and a good knowledge of none.” (p. 277) This is so true, and I’m already stuck deep in the linguamania abyss. But what’s the solution? Is there a cure?

First of all, let me set some things straight because sometimes I get asked, if I’ve written all articles on this blog myself. Yes, this is just my own little language learning blog and all there is presented here are my own language learning experiences. People also say: “You are a polyglot!” to which I reply: “I’m not.” There doesn’t seem to be a valid definition of polyglot. It is not clear to me, how many languages at which level you are supposed to speak, to earn your polyglot batch and honestly I don’t like to be labelled in any way. 

People also ask, how many languages I actually speak, to which I prefer to reply: “Just German and English”. But when we are not talking about literal fluency, understanding almost anything that is said and being able to express all thoughts in that language, but being able to hold conversations with native speakers about a wide range of topics and without slowing them down and being able to use the language in a professional context, than I’d say that I speak Japanese and Chinese at advanced level and am upper intermediate in French and Spanish. All the other languages described in this blog, I dabble at best. I survive as a tourist, can ask the way and order a coffee. Maybe write a little text. But that’s it and doesn’t count as “speaking” for me. So, the languages I’ve studied for some time but failed to make enough progress to be able to actually “speak” them are: Arabic, Italian, Korean, Persian, Portuguese and since recently Russian. And I understand Shanghainese and can read Latin and Ancient Greek but that’s a different story. Other languages described in the blog, I did not really study but just play a bit with. 

Now, what should I do? I’m honestly torn between on one hand embracing linguamania, just adding languages until my brain ex- or implodes, because it is so rewarding to learn about other cultures and languages and meeting people from around the world, and on the other hand dropping all languages that I don’t speak yet and rather focus on going the extra mile for the languages that I already feel comfortable with. Would it be worth it to reduce my German accent in English a bit? But why hide my heritage? And besides, I don’t know which accent I’d like to have in English. I would feel awkward to either sound British or American because that’s not what I am. Should I bring my Chinese and Japanese to the same level like my English? I probably should but it seems like an awful lot of work. But I might have to do it, if my French and Spanish jumped up to lower advanced level, because, just out of principle, I can’t allow other languages to overtake Japanese and Chinese. They have to stay in the top three of my strongest languages. 

In conclusion, the sane and reasonable thing to do would be to focus on this stronger languages and forget about the others for the time being. But who said, I was reasonable? I vowed to myself to study Russian for a year at least and bring it to B2 and there are so many other temptations calling out for me (I better don’t disclose the other languages on my indefinite and ever-growing list of languages that I want to learn one day, in order to not completely sound ridiculous). I’m afraid there’s not much I can do. I’m weak ok? I see a chocolate, I want to eat it. I hear a language, I want to learn it. I will just try to put it in a healthier balance, not ignore my stronger languages and try to stay at arm’s length with all beautiful and tempting new languages that are trying to pull me deeper into the abyss with their siren-like songs. If my brain will not have turned into a big mush by the end of the year, it’ll mean that I will have made some progress and being a linguamaniac isn’t that bad at all. (And there’s my label…)