I Dream Of a World Full of Polyglots

A world where the main language is every language.

I can converse in 6 languages. This simple fact has opened many doors to me throughout my life and will certainly continue to do so until the day I die.

I believe everybody in the world should be able to speak multiple languages. Nobody will ever speak every single language in the world but the capacity to speak 3, 4 or even 5 languages would already be a good start.

Sure, it takes time. But can you imagine such a world? I can, and it’s magnificent.

A world without borders

By speaking multiple languages, you can travel around the world without the worry of not being understood. You can discover the deepest secrets of various cultures.

As a French, I could go to a neighboring country like Germany and yet miss incredible aspects of its culture by not speaking the language. I could go to a tiny restaurant in the countryside and miss the area’s specialty food. Would it change my life to be able to order it? No, but it would enhance the experience and make it more memorable.

Isn’t that what we are all looking for in travels?

In a world full of polyglots, each trip would be memorable.

A world without racism

Racism comes down to a lack of understanding. Racist people have been brought up with a flawed understanding of people from other countries or different ethnicity.

If you spoke French, Chinese, Arabic, Swahili, Spanish, and English, how much do you think your perception of the world would change? I’m ready to bet it’d change quite a lot.

Even if you aren’t racist, you have preconceptions about certain ethnicities, about certain countries. You may not be willing to admit it but there’s a part of you that is racist.

In their new music, the Year Of The Ox duo sings about the current increased racism towards the Asian community throughout the US. Yet, it also starts with one of them recognizing his racism towards the Muslim community.

“After 9–11 I remember seeing turbans and getting nervous.”

In a world full of polyglots, racism would disappear naturally.

A world of communication

As goes the famous Nelson Mandela quote:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

In a world where we would all have more than one language in common, we would be able to always talk to others’ hearts. Every communication would be more insightful, more complete, more honest.

Throughout the years, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to have long-length conversations with people from many countries. The most impactful ones? They were when I talked to the other in their native tongue or when the other talked to me in my own one.

In a world full of polyglots, we’d all have insightful exchanges.

A world of people at ease with aloneness

As countries around the world are starting lockdowns, many people are discovering what it is to stay alone for a while. While social distancing can be mentally straining for many, it isn’t for polyglots.

Polyglots are used to being alone for lengths of time. After all, it takes time to learn multiple languages and concentration is needed. Practicing is important too, but it is impossible to learn a language without spending time on one’s own on a regular basis.

The Covid-19 may be a health crisis but we should also transform this as an opportunity to be more at ease with ourselves. Taking on a language now could be a great start to join the language-learning community too!

In a world full of polyglots, we’d be happy alone too.

A world of constant learning

Languages evolve constantly. New slang terms get created every day.

Take a look at French for example. We use what we call “verlan” to create many slang terms. “Verlan” is the action of ordering backward the syllables of a word. The word “femme” (woman) thus became “meuf” when I was a child. However, some years back, “meuf” itself became “verlan”-ised. It became “feumeu”.

Each language evolves daily. It’s impossible to know everything about every language. After all, it’s impossible to know everything about our own native language. But that’s what makes it interesting!

In a world full of polyglots, every conversation would teach us something more. A grammar pattern. New words. A new sentence structure. Or they could get us more accustomed to certain forms.

“We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse.” — David Goggins

In a world full of polyglots, we’d all be fulfilled, life-long learners.

Sure, in such a world, I’d somehow lose my “edge” as a polyglot. But I can bet it’d be worth it. We’d finally see a world without limits.

The limits of my language are the limits of my world. — Ludwig Wittgenstein

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