Podcasts Education Self-Improvement Conversations with Tyler Vaughn Smith on Life as a Hyperpolyglot

Vaughn Smith on Life as a Hyperpolyglot

Published: Sept. 7, 2022, noon

Vaughn Smith is fluent in eight languages but with a beginner\u2019s grasp of at least thirty-six (and counting). His talents are so remarkable that the Washington Post did a feature story on him and neuroscientists at MIT requested he do a brain scan for them. But for Vaughn his language skills aren\u2019t about attracting attention or monetary gain. \u201cLanguage is a key to someone's culture, to someone's world,\u201d he explains. Whether it\u2019s watching a client\u2019s face light up when he speaks to them in their native tongue or showing Indigenous children in rural Mexico that their language is valuable and worth preserving, Vaughn views his gifts as a way of connecting with other people.

He joined Tyler to discuss how he began learning languages, the best languages for expressing humor, why he curses in Slovak, why he considers Finnish more romantic than Portugese, what makes Hungarian so difficult to learn, the best way to teach people new languages, how to combat language loss, why he\u2019d like rural Mexicans to have more pride in their culture and way of life, his time as a roadie for a punk rock van, the most rewarding job he\u2019s had, why he wants to visit Finland, how enjoying films from different eras is similar to learning new languages, the future of English, and more.

Read a\xa0full transcript\xa0enhanced with helpful links, or watch the\xa0full video.

Recorded May 26th, 2022

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