"Wow, you're a linguist!" New friends or people in acquaintance would always say the moment they'd find out just the little part of me.
"Oh, thanks for the praise." I'd say back with the biggest SMILE, flattered. I was taught to be appreciative to a kind comment anyway - that's another thing.
This was when "flattery" was too tempting to fall into. But as I yield to the desire of learning languages every single day, I found out that I'm not really a super-duper multilingual. I could not even speak Korean or French or Spanish or Arabic or Greek or Hebrew or Khmer fluently although I've been learning them for years desperately.
Now.
"So, you're a linguist?" Curious people would still ask after realizing that I speak a bit of these languages.
"Not really! Let's say, it's just a hobby." If only they have understood what this logos really is, then they can tell the difference.
I, too, was surprised to know the difference.
Look at what this dictionary has to say: "Linguist is a person accomplished in languages; especially one who speaks several languages fluently" (Miriam-Webster Dictionary).
Aha!
Accomplished? In some sense maybe. I've reached my goal which is to learn "ten" languages before 40. But it doesn't mean one is a linguist.
Fluency? I don't think have it yet. That's why I am still learning, reviewing, and pushing my self to it. So, not yet.
But if I had to conform to Wikipedia's standard of a linguist: "one who is able to speak or write several languages" - and fluency is out of the story, then I am - a polyglot.
But if I had to think in accordance with the prevailing standards of Dr. Jose P. Rizal's gifting - an example of an extra-ordinary linguist aside from being a hero, then I'm just a person whose hobby is to simply learn other languages.
Maybe not a linguist yet - it's better to play safe though.
I prefer to say: "it's just a hobby" than being tempted to say: I am a linguist.
I, too, was surprised to know the difference.
Look at what this dictionary has to say: "Linguist is a person accomplished in languages; especially one who speaks several languages fluently" (Miriam-Webster Dictionary).
Aha!
Accomplished? In some sense maybe. I've reached my goal which is to learn "ten" languages before 40. But it doesn't mean one is a linguist.
Fluency? I don't think have it yet. That's why I am still learning, reviewing, and pushing my self to it. So, not yet.
But if I had to conform to Wikipedia's standard of a linguist: "one who is able to speak or write several languages" - and fluency is out of the story, then I am - a polyglot.
But if I had to think in accordance with the prevailing standards of Dr. Jose P. Rizal's gifting - an example of an extra-ordinary linguist aside from being a hero, then I'm just a person whose hobby is to simply learn other languages.
Maybe not a linguist yet - it's better to play safe though.
I prefer to say: "it's just a hobby" than being tempted to say: I am a linguist.
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