Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T18:35:22.472Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Language aptitude and language awareness: Polyglot perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2021

Kenneth Hyltenstam
Kenneth Hyltenstam*
Affiliation:
Stockholm University
*
Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper discusses the notion of language aptitude as a factor contributing to successful language acquisition achievements in polyglots. The difficulty in distinguishing between what is, indeed, language aptitude and what is language awareness is the main focus of the paper. A polyglot is operationalized here as a person who, after puberty, (a) acquired/learned at least six new languages (L2s), (b) commands at least six L2s at an intermediate or advanced proficiency level, and (c) presently uses these languages relatively unimpededly in oral interaction. The article draws specifically on a controlled investigation of ten polyglots who were extensively interviewed and tested for language aptitude, motivation, language awareness, and use of language learning strategies. Results show well above average, often outstanding, aptitude scores and an immediate preference for explicit learning. It appears that the combination of strong motivation and high levels of language aptitude and language awareness is what makes polyglots unusually successful second language learners. This paper suggests that language aptitude is both a prerequisite for developing high levels of language awareness and (since the two concepts are partially overlapping), much of the dynamism sometimes ascribed to aptitude is indeed awareness.

Keywords

polyglotslanguage aptitude
Type
Research Article
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 41 , March 2021 , pp. 55 - 75
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrahamsson, N. & Hyltenstam, K. (2008). The robustness of aptitude effects in near-native second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30(4), 481–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ameringer, V., Green, L., Leiser, D. & Turker, S. (2018). Introduction: Towards an interdisciplinary understanding of language aptitude. In Reiterer, S. (Ed.), Exploring language aptitude: Views from psychology, the language sciences, and cognitive neuroscience (pp. 1–15). Springer.Google Scholar
Amunts, K., Schleicher, A. & Zilles, K. (2004). Outstanding language competence and cytoarchitecture in Broca's speech region. Brain and Language, 89, 346–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Association of Language Awareness (2020). About. Retrieved December 15, 2020 from https://www.languageawareness.org/?page_id=48.Google Scholar
Baron-Cohen, S. (2020). The pattern seekers. How autism drives human invention. Basic Books.Google Scholar
Bernstein, B. (1971). Class, codes and control, Volume I. Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Bokander, L. & Bylund, E. (2019). Probing the internal validity of the LLAMA language aptitude test. Language Learning, 70(1), 11–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bylund, E., Abrahamsson, N. & Hyltenstam, K. (2012). Does first language maintenance hamper nativelikeness in a second language? A study of ultimate attainment in early bilinguals. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 34(2), 215–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, J. B. (1965). The prediction of success in intensive foreign language training. In Glase, R. (Ed.), Training, research, and education (pp. 87–136). Wiley.Google Scholar
Carroll, J. B. (1981). Twenty-five years of research on foreign language aptitude. In Diller, K. C. (Ed.), Individual differences and universals in language learning aptitude (pp. 83–118). Newbury House.Google Scholar
Carroll, J. B. & Sapon, S. (1959). Modern Language Aptitude Test: Form A. The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Council of Europe. (1992). European Charter for Regional or Minority Language. European Treaty Series, 148. Council of Europe.Google Scholar
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, R. (2000). The robustness of critical period effects in second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 22(4), 499–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, R, Alfi-Shabtay, I. & Ravid, D. (2010). Cross-linguistic evidence for the nature of age effects in second language acquisition. Applied Psycholinguistics, 31(3), 413–438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deneke, T. (1965). Das Testament - Menschenschicksale um das Haus am Frauenplan [The Will: The Fate of People around the House on Frauenplan]. Kiepenheuer Verlag.Google Scholar
Erard, M. (2012). Babel No More. The search for the world's most extraordinary language learners. Free Press.Google Scholar
Erard, M. (2019). Language aptitude: Insights from hyperpolyglots. In Wen, Z., Skehan, P., Biedroń, A., Li, S., & Sparks, R. L. (Eds.), Language aptitude: advancing theory, testing, research and practice (pp. 153–167). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Granena, G. (2013a). Cognitive aptitudes for second language learning and the LLAMA language aptitude test. In Granena, G. & Long, M. (Eds.), Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment (pp. 105–129). John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Granena, G. (2013b). Reexamining the robustness of aptitude in second language acquisition. In Granena, G. & Long, M. (Eds.), Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment (pp. 179–204). John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hudson, R. (2012). How many languages can a person learn? In Rickerson, E. M. & Hilton, B. (Eds.), The five-minute linguist: Bite-sized essays on language and languages (2nd ed., pp. 102–105). Equinox.Google Scholar
Hyltenstam, K. (2016a). The polyglot—an initial characterization on the basis of multiple anecdotal accounts. In Hyltenstam, K. (Ed.), Advanced proficiency and exceptional ability in second languages (pp. 215–240). De Gruyter Mouton.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyltenstam, K. (2016b). The exceptional ability of polyglots to achieve high-level proficiency in numerous languages. In Hyltenstam, K. (Ed.), Advanced proficiency and exceptional ability in second languages (pp. 241–272). De Gruyter Mouton.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyltenstam, K. (2018). Polyglotism. A synergy of abilities and predispositions. In Hyltenstam, K., Bartning, I., & Fant, L. (Eds.), High-level language proficiency in second language and multilingual contexts (pp. 170–195). Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jessner, U. (2006). Linguistic awareness in multilinguals: English as a third language. Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Jouravlev, O., Mineroff, Z., Blank, I. & Federenko, E. (2021). The small and efficient language network of polyglots and hyper-polyglots. Cerebral Cortex, 31(1), 48–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kormos, J. (2013). New conceptualizations of language aptitude in second language attainment. In Granena, G. & Long, M. (Eds.), Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment (pp. 131–152). John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Laurén, C. (2006). Tidig inlärning av flera språk. Teori och praktik [Early Learning of Several Languages: Theory and Practice]. Vaasan Yliopisto.Google Scholar
Leow, R. P. (2012). Attention, noticing, and awareness in second language acquisition. In Chapelle, C. A. (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics. Blackwell.Google Scholar
Li, S. (2019). Six decades of language aptitude research. A comprehensive and critical overview. In Wen, Z., Skehan, P., Biedroń, A., Li, S. & Sparks, R. L. (Eds.), Language aptitude: Advancing theory, testing, research and practice (pp. 78–96). Routledge.Google Scholar
Linck, J. A., Hughes, M. M., Campbell, S. G., Silbert, N. H., Tare, M., Jackson, S. R. & Doughty, C. J. (2013). Hi-LAB: A New Measure of Aptitude for High-Level Language Proficiency. Language Learning, 63(3), 530–566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lomb, K. (2008). Polyglot: How I learn languages. TESL-EJ.Google Scholar
Long, M. H. (2007). Problems in SLA. Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Meara, P. (2005). Llama Language Aptitude Tests. The manual. Lognostics.Google Scholar
Meara, P., Milton, J. & Lorenzo-Dus, N. (2003). Swansea Language Aptitude Tests (LAT) v2.0. Lognostics.Google Scholar
Novoa, L., Fein, D. & Obler, L. K. (1988). Talent in foreign languages: A case study. In Obler, L. K. & Fein, D. (Eds.), The exceptional brain: Neuropsychology of talent and special abilities (pp. 294–302). Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Ranta, L. (2002). The role of learners’ language analytic ability in the communicative classroom. In Robinson, P. (Ed.), Individual differences and instructed language learning (pp. 159–180). Benjamins.Google Scholar
Robinson, P. (1997). Individual differences and the fundamental similarity of implicit and explicit second language learning. Language Learning, 47(1), 45–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, P. (2005). Aptitude and second language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 25, 46–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roehr, K. (2007). Metalinguistic knowledge and language ability in university-level L2 learners. Applied Linguistics, 29(2), 173–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roehr-Brackin, K. & Tellier, A. (2019). The role of language-analytic ability in children's instructed second language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41, 1111–1131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, V., Meara, P., Barnett-Legh, T., Curry, C. & Davie, E. (2017). Examining the LLAMA aptitude test. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 1, 49–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruhlen, M. (1991). A guide to the world's languages: Volume 1. Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Saito, K., Kachlicka, M., Sun, H. & Tierney, A. (2020). Domain-general auditory processing as an anchor of post-pubertal L2 pronunciation learning: Behavioural and neurophysiological investigations of perceptual acuity, age, experience, development, and attainment. Journal of Memory and Language, 115, 104–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 129–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, R. (2012). Attention, awareness, and individual differences in language learning. In Chan, W. M., Chin, K. N., Bhatt, S. K. & Walker, I. (Eds.), Perspectives on individual characteristics and foreign language education (pp. 721–737). De Gruyter Mouton.Google Scholar
Schwartz, A. (2003). When bad news is good news or serendipity strikes again…and again…and again…. Translation Journal 7(3). Retrieved December 19, 2020 from https://translationjournal.net/journal/25prof.htm.Google Scholar
Seither-Preisler, A., Parncutt, R. & Schneider, P. (2014). Size and synchronization of auditory cortex promotes musical, literacy, and attentional skills in children. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(33), 10937–10949.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Singleton, D. (2014). Apt to change: The problematic of language awareness and language aptitude in age-related research. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 4(3), 557–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singleton, D. (2017). Language aptitude: Desirable trait or acquirable attribute? Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 7, 89–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skehan, P. (1989). Individual differences in second language learning. Edward Arnold.Google Scholar
Skehan, P. (1998). A cognitive approach to learning language. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Skehan, P. (2002). Theorising and updating aptitude. In Robinson, P. (Ed.), Individual differences and instructed language learning (pp. 69–94). Benjamins.Google Scholar
Skehan, P. (2019). Language aptitude implicates language and cognitive skills. In Wen, Z., Skehan, P., Biedroń, A., Li, S., & Sparks, R. L. (Eds.), Language aptitude: Advancing theory, testing, research and practice (pp. 56–77). Routledge.Google Scholar
Skehan, P. & Ducroquet, L. (1988). A comparison of first and foreign language learning ability. Working Documents No. 8, ESOL Department, Institute of Education, London University.Google Scholar
Smeds, H. (2015). Blindness and Second Language Acquisition. Studies of Cognitive Advantages in Blind L1 and L2 Speakers. Dissertations in Bilingualism, 25. Centre for Research on Bilingualism, Stockholm University.Google Scholar
Sparks, R., Ganschow, L. & Pohlman, J. (1989). Linguistic coding deficits in foreign language learners. Annals of Dyslexia, 39, 177–195.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sparks, R. L., Patton, J. & Luebbers, J. (2019). Language aptitude. Insights from US high school students. In Wen, Z., Skehan, P., Biedroń, A., Li, S., & Sparks, R. L. (Eds.), Language aptitude: Advancing theory, testing, research and practice (pp. 123–152). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stansfield, C. W. & Reed, D. J. (2019). The MLAT at 60 years. In Wen, Z., Skehan, P., Biedroń, A., Li, S., & Sparks, R. L. (Eds.), Language aptitude: advancing theory, testing, research and practice (pp. 15–32). Routledge.Google Scholar
Suárez, M. & Muñoz, C. (2011) Aptitude, age and cognitive development. The MLAT-E in Spanish and Catalan. In Roberts, L., Pellotti, G., & Bettoni, C. (Eds.), Eurosla Yearbook, 11(1), 5–29.Google Scholar
Svalberg, A. M.-L. (2007). Language awareness and language learning. Language Teaching 40(4), 287–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turker, S., Reiterer, S. M., Schneider, P. & Seither-Preisler, A. (2019). Auditory cortex morphology predicts language learning potential in children and teenagers. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 824.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tyrkova-Williams, A. (1935). Cheerful giver. The life of Harold Williams. Peter Davies.Google Scholar
Wells, G. (1985). Language development in the pre-school years. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wen, Z. (2019). Working memory as language aptitude. The Phonological/Executive Model. In Wen, Z., Skehan, P., Biedroń, A., Li, S., & Sparks, R. L. (Eds.), Language aptitude: advancing theory, testing, research and practice (pp. 187–214). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wen, Z., Biedroń, A. & Skehan, P. (2017). Foreign language aptitude theory: Yesterday, today and tomorrow. Language Teaching, 50(1), 1–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar