This paper is a review of organised discussions on polyglottery from 2013 to 2022. The starting point of the present study is the round table “Polyglottery and Education” that took place during the International Conference on Multilingual Proficiency: Language, Polyglossia and Polyglottery (New York, 2013). This event is notable for being the first academic discussion of polyglot issues, which brought together both established linguists and renowned polyglots. It also pre-signified the beginning of the modern period for polyglottery as a movement and a science, the latter being marked by the emergence of regular research publications on the subject. The main topics of the 2013 discussion are used as a reference point to compare with the agenda of subsequent polyglot round tables. The data for comparison is drawn from panel discussions held as part of the Polyglot Gatherings and Polyglot Conferences, on the one hand, and at academic symposiums, on the other, thus embracing both the first and third person perspectives (polyglots as the subject vs. the object of study). Presentation of data from the said events is followed by a conclusion about the dynamics of polyglot discussions over the years. The study shows that polyglottery has become a more frequent subject in scientific discourse. It also demonstrates that the topics addressed at the initial 2013 New York round table (such as defining a polyglot, efficient methods of language-learning, etc.) found their way into subsequent forums and are still relevant among polyglots today. At the same time, new issues have been added to the agenda (using internet platforms to learn languages, studying multiple languages simultaneously, raising multilingual children, etc.). This may reflect the stable and the changeable elements in the structure of interests in the polyglot community.

The article is devoted to reality-testing a unique language acquisition technique proposed by the polyglot Alan Bigulov. The novelty lies in super-intensive quick start, which allows a student to begin talking in a target language with native speakers (including speakers of different regional language variants) within seven to ten days on topics related to priority communicative tasks for that language learner. In this regard, the article raises the theoretical issue of priorities and intentions of a linguistic personality in the process of speech activity. The study of polyglottery is included in the ethnopsycholinguistic research agenda on bi-, poly-, and multilingualism. In the theoretical part of the article, the correlation of the phenomenon of polyglottery with multi- and multilingualism is considered. The practical research method consisted in daily monitoring the speech behaviour of a polyglot in the process of super intensive conversational practice in target languages, and then in applying the observed strategies during the author’s own Spanish initial super-intensive language sessions. Language practice sessions were recorded on video to be later analyzed in order to identify effective components of the methodology. Alan Bigulov’s method is based on a synthesis of polyglots’ communicative strategies described in books and articles by Dina Nikulicheva and on his own experiment of learning ten new languages during the project “10 languages in 1,000 days”. The key component of this super-intensive method is the use of Internet language platforms. This makes it possible to communicate each time with a new interlocutor, and to repeatedly practice vocabulary, grammatical structures and topics in new communicative situations. The fact that the student himself directs the process of communication, which involves the preparation of prioritized questions for discussion in language sessions during the days of the super-intensive practice, is an essential part of the new method. The experiment proved the fundamental possibility of using the super-intensive technique by ordinary students in order to quickly remove the language barrier and enter conversational practice already at the initial stage of language learning. Monitoring and analyzing the practice sessions allowed the author to identify the key components of the technique and its potential limitations.

The phenomenon of successive language learning acceleration, frequently experienced by polyglots, when in order to learn a new language from a familiar language group the polyglot requires less time with each new language, is widely known, but, it seems, it has never been thoroughly examined. This article presents a simple mathematical model based on the author’s own data, which has been collected over the course of three years’ worth of independent language study and describes how much faster one learns languages from the same group. The number of hours spent on a new language as a function of the number of previously known languages is described by a simple exponential function with two parameters: the “starting time” and the “half-life”. According to the author’s hypotheses, these parameters may provide a numerical measure of certain aspects of language that are difficult to quantify otherwise. The “starting time” could be a measure of propinquity between the learner and the language group, whereas the “halflife” could be a measure of propinquity between the languages of a given group. Additionally, reviewed are three different approaches to keeping track of time spent on language activity as used by different polyglots. These approaches are of importance for collecting data to be used in studies of successive language learning acceleration. At the end of the article, an idealized algorithm for conducting such a study is presented, and particular attention is drawn to the various parameters that must be controlled in order to carry out this kind of research in an appropriate manner. This particular study did not manage to satisfy all of the criteria mentioned, so the reliability of the claims made in this article is debatable, and additional validation is required. Furthermore, the validity of the model has to be confirmed by other researchers and polyglots.

This paper presents a sociological study of the features that characterize students’ perception of the phenomenon of polyglottery. The study aims to give a clearer description of the qualities, which are, according to students, associated with polyglots. The researchers used the focus group method and projective techniques (free and controlled associations, personalization, personification and object manipulation) in a discussion with actual MGIMO students to provide ground for a sincere, but instrumental talk. As a result, special characteristics were identified that are associated with polyglots in the minds of the students. It was revealed that polyglots are perceived in an exclusively positive light as educated, competent and tactful individuals who are an attractive role model. These associations are largely formed under the influence of the phenomenon of “unconscious polyglottery” due to the fact that multilingual competence is part of everyday life for this social group. MGIMO students have an unconscious habit of perceiving foreign languages not only during the classes but also in a less formal way and, therefore, are uniquely related to polyglottery. MGIMO was chosen as the object of study because of it being mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as an academic institution with the largest number of languages in the world being taught (53). In addition, a review of existing literature aimed at the sociological study of polyglottery is also presented in the article (in particular, the works by Laia Herlevi and Alexander Arguelles). Analyzed are their goals, results and limitations. These works use a quantitative methodology of sociological research, while the present paper refers to a qualitative strategy, which seems to be particularly effective in examining the phenomenon of polyglots and polyglottery. The immediate perspective of this study is connected with describing sociological and psychological aspects of different foreign languages when selecting one as a study subject.

In the research done for this article, the matter of multilingualism and polyglottery in modern Japan was addressed and the relationship between these phenomena and how they affect one another is discussed. Before discussing the matter of polyglots in Japan, it was felt to be useful to first examine what or what not a polyglot might be and how that term might differ from the word “multilingual” in the context of Japan, as we can assume that, even if the two terms cover much of the same semantic territory for a Japanese, they are not, as now generally understood, completely alike nor should the terms be considered interchangeable with one another. This matter is addressed in the section on vocabulary definitions. The second section, on factors of language relation, typology and culture, in which Japanese views on language and polyglottery are addressed, deals with the obstacles to becoming a polyglot that Japanese are often facing. It is proposed that the most important obstacle to achieving polyglottery by Japanese is imposed by time; and, for this reason, an overview of the approximate necessary timeframe to learn different languages for an elite cohort of American State Department educated individuals is provided. From this, guesstimates of what would be expected of a similar Japanese cohort in a Japanese context are given. The language policy and language education of Japan are also addressed. In connection with this, a short discussion is made as to why this might also contribute to the scarcity of polyglots in Japan, though it is also maintained that a scarcity of polyglots among people of Japanese ethnicity living in Japan does not necessarily mean that there is an equal level of scarcity of multilinguals, who, if they had learned their languages in different circumstances with more self-awareness, would be considered as polyglots.

This research paper is set in the context of growing interest towards globalization and its effects on contemporary English-language discourse. The focus on the United Nations’ discourse can be explained by the pivotal role of this organization in identifying, shaping and spreading global trends. The underlying assumption is that conceptual, cognitive and semantic analyses of the English-language UN discourse enable deeper understanding of the western worldview, which expands into other types of discourse with a broad audience (media, educational, etc). The application of the conceptual metaphor theory has allowed to discover a conceptual-definitional level as well as image and value levels of the employed concepts in order to find out cognitive linguistic tools which construct the world order model and the view of today’s reality. The study has shown that the language behaviour can be described with the dichotomy “uniting – separating”. On the one hand, reality is represented as a “family” field of life (based on the conceptual metaphor THE WORLD IS A FAMILY) with inherent family values and obligations. On the other hand, the world is subject to explicit categorization through the conceptual opposition of FRIEND vs. FOE and the conceptual and metaphorical model of “The fairy tale of the just war”. Mechanisms of linguistic hierarchization of participants’ relations were also revealed with the help of conceptual metaphors RELATIONS AMONG STATES ARE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONS and LEADER STATE IS A NURTURANT PARENT. The results of the study may be useful for further research on contemporary English-language discourse in a cognitive-pragmatic way, with the possibility of using the identified conceptual metaphors to detect speech tactics and strategies, as well as for comparative analysis of the constructed English-language world view with language models represented by other official UN languages: Russian, French, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic.

The present study explores language policy and management in the industry of hospitality and tourism in the Russian Federation. Hospitality is a vital sector of the economy which receives strong government support. In 2021 and 2022, amendments to the Federal Law on the Foundations of Tourism Activity were adopted and the National Project “Tourism and the Hospitality Industry” was initiated. These documents aim to promote tourist activity in the country as well as improve the quality of TOPs (tourismoriented products). Foreign language command is inextricably linked with service quality and employees are expected to follow the accepted language code and protocol, though this is unevenly implemented. The paper analyses the adequacy of language policy in the field of hospitality. The term “language management” is preferred to “language policy planning” (LPP) as it better reflects the efforts made to implement changes in current language practices within the social group of hospitality professionals. These changes are driven by the latest political and social developments and reflect current economic and social environment. The paper draws on the latest relevant government documentation and industry language practices, comparing this analysis with the perceptions of 130 interns in Russian hospitality establishments. The comparison identifies existing language problems in the hospitality industry and points to directions for future enhancement. The study also aims to explore the adequacy of English-language preparation for hospitality professionals. It considers foreign language instruction for occupational purposes both at the tertiary level and in the workplace setting. The research paper aims to shed light on how language policy and language management may be of relevance to ESP (English for special purposes) teachers in the area of hospitality.

This study explores the critical awareness of Dalit students in Nepal (belonging to the subaltern group of the untouchables in the Hindu caste system) regarding their linguistic identity and pedagogical scaffolding. Language as the medium of instruction plays a crucial role in having access to quality education. Children from marginalized communities, who do not have their own language, have a compulsion to use the language of oppressors. More specifically, Dalit students’ perception, awareness, and ideology with regard to their linguistic identity, language learning, and medium of instruction at the plus-two level, despite their marginalization in the society, enhance broader understanding of the role of the linguistic factor for their pedagogical support. This qualitative study adopts interview and focus group discussion as major tools for generating data from purposively sampled Dalit students studying in the Kathmandu Valley. To generate the data, 22 semi-structured interviews of the key informants and two focus group discussions were conducted. Descriptive, exploratory and interpretive methods were employed to analyze the data from a geolinguistic perspective. The findings show that Dalit students studying at the plus-two level were aware of their sense of loss for not having their own mother tongue, i.e. a separate linguistic identity. They prefer the Nepali language as the medium of instruction for their pedagogical scaffolding as they understand clearly in this language. At the same time, the respondents preferred the English language for professional opportunities, foreign employment, and uplift of the socio-economic status of Dalits and as a tool for combating their power negotiation in society. This conclusion supports the need to deal with Dalit students in regard to their pedagogical scaffolding by addressing the issues of their linguistic identity at the plus-two level.

This article is devoted to studying the history of Russian Old Believers’ emigration to Brazil, to analyzing the reasons that allowed them to maintain their linguistic identity, and to identifying the features of the dialect of the Russian language of the Old Believers living in Latin America and in Brazil, in particular. Old Believers moved to Brazil after centuries of oppression, as a result of which they first left Central Russia for the East of the country, Siberia and Primorye, and after the 1917 Revolution, many of them moved to Harbin (China). After the 1949 Revolution in China, they turned to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who sent them to the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil. Brazil was the first country to grant them visas. The main wave of Old Believers’ migration to Brazil falls on 1957–58, that is why they managed to avoid the policy of nationalization of the New State, carried out in 1937–1945 by Getúlio Vargas, whose goal was to turn all immigrants into Brazilian citizens by banning their native language not only in official but also in everyday communication. Thus, the Old Believers managed to fully preserve their religious, cultural and linguistic identity due to a certain hermeticism of their communities and the preservation of their traditional way of life. The dialect of the Old Believers of Brazil retains the typical features of the Nizhny Novgorod dialect of the 19th century, in which archaic linguistic features and semantic shifts in the meaning of words were conserved. However, it also contains lexical innovations denoting new concepts of modern life, Spanish and Portuguese borrowings and their adaptation. At the beginning of the 21st century, within the framework of the State Program to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to Russia of Compatriots Living Abroad, several Old Believer families decided to return to Russia, to Primorye, thus completing their round-the-world trip.