Polyglot is the term attributed to individuals who can master four or more languages.
Etymologically, the word polyglot originated from the Greek polluttos, and has a similar translation to “one who speaks many languages”.
People who can speak and write in two different languages are known as bilinguals, while those who can speak up to three languages are called trilingual or triglot.
Polyglots encompass individuals with the ability to speak more than four languages. It can also be said that something is polyglot when it is written in several languages, characterizing it as a polyglot text.
According to researchers of the human mind, the ease of learning many languages is a genetic factor, and the first years of human life are ideal for this learning.
Other scholars even claim that the boundary between polyglots and hyperpolyglots is six languages, that is, people who can speak more than six languages are classified as hyperpolyglot.
There are notorious and amazing polyglots on the planet. One of the most popular cases was that of Italian priest Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who lived in the 18th century and was famous for speaking approximately 72 languages and reading over 110 different languages.
According to the story, what motivated Mezzofanti to learn new languages was his willingness to travel the world and hear people's confessions in their native languages.
See also the meaning of learning.
