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Ray GillonBritish hyperlinguist who speaks 18 languages
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Ray Gillow: A British Hyperpolyglot Master of 18 Languages
- A Path to Polyglotcy
- Global Immersion and Linguistic Expansion
- Sustaining Linguistic Proficiency
- The Hyperpolyglot Enigma
- Balancing Breadth and Depth
- Multiple Pathways to Fluency
- Unveiling the Secrets of Hyperpolyglots
- Gillow's Enigmatic Abilities
Ray Gillow: A British Hyperpolyglot Master of 18 Languages
Early Life and InspirationAt a time when many individuals aspire to master a single foreign language, British hyperpolyglot Ray Gillow has astounded the world by acquiring proficiency in an astounding 18. To clarify, he is fluent in eight of these languages and conversational in the remaining ten. From Portuguese and Thai to Russian, Polish, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Bulgarian, and Mandarin, Gillow can effortlessly engage in scintillating conversations.
A Path to Polyglotcy
Born in England, Gillow embarked on his linguistic journey at the tender age of 11 with French and Latin. His passion extended to English and German, which he pursued through elective courses while earning his degree in Electronic Engineering. It was upon landing his first job that Gillow's true affair with languages blossomed.
Global Immersion and Linguistic Expansion
Assigned to the south of France, Gillow's enthusiasm for language acquisition surged. Exposure to Italian during an audiovisual system development project ignited a love for the language. "I took a weekend trip to Italy and fell in love with Italian," he recalls. "I bought books and started teaching myself." By the end of his third year in France, Gillow had become fluent in both French and Italian.
Subsequent assignments propelled him across the globe, rapidly expanding his linguistic repertoire to include German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Swedish. He claims to have used a dozen foreign languages daily for a decade. His current role, overseeing the quality of foreign language translations for Hollywood films, demands constant linguistic refinement.
Sustaining Linguistic Proficiency
"I have a large library of books in foreign languages. I keep my knowledge fresh by reviewing grammar, reading newspapers, and watching satellite TV," Gillow reveals.
The Hyperpolyglot Enigma
According to linguist and author Michael Erard, hyperpolyglots like Gillow are a rare breed. Erard suggests that the threshold of 11 languages is seldom breached. However, he notes, "Knowing languages from a variety of families, such as English, French, Mandarin, Japanese, Hindi, and Russian, is considered more impressive than knowing 11 Romance languages, such as Italian, French, and Spanish."
Balancing Breadth and Depth
Gifted linguists often face the dilemma of pursuing depth and breadth in their linguistic endeavors. Musing on this, Matt Withers, a 32-year-old polyglot proficient in German, Portuguese, French, Luxembourgish, and Welsh, emphasizes that languages are his passion rather than a vocation.
Multiple Pathways to Fluency
Withers credits self-study through books and subscription to language courses for his linguistic accomplishments. "When I was in Germany, I lived in a house with three Brazilians, so I spoke Portuguese with them in the evenings. It was interesting to try and use my Portuguese via German," he shares. "Having lived in Wales for the last few years, I'm now surrounded by native Welsh speakers at work, so my Welsh has improved."
Unveiling the Secrets of Hyperpolyglots
While Gillow readily admits to having no definitive explanation for his linguistic prowess, Erard believes that a combination of personality and neurological traits may play a role. He notes that such highly social individuals might possess "neurological plumbing" that predisposes them to process environmental input in a structured manner.
"Hyperpolyglots have an ability to switch between languages effortlessly, and these cognitive skills are often inherited," Erard adds.
Gillow's Enigmatic Abilities
Gillow himself acknowledges his inability to fully comprehend his aptitude for languages. "I can't give any sort of explanation," he concludes. "If I could, I'd bottle it and start selling it."
