BISAL 3, 2008, 77-87

Languages for ALL

Ron Peek*

Birkbeck, University of London

Abstract

This article reviews and comments on Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, a

recent English language edition of Kató Lomb’s Így tanulok nyelveket, which
was originally published in Hungarian in 1970. The article situates the work and
provides a brief biographical sketch of the author, followed by an outline of the
book. The article then examines more closely some of the issues raised by
Lomb, such as adult learning, awareness in language learning, attitude versus
aptitude, the use of a multipronged approach, taking personal responsibility, the
role of regularity, as well as that of active and explorative reading, and the
development of the four skills. Finally, it highlights the ongoing significance of
Lomb’s seminal work for language learners, teachers and researchers.

Polyglots have always excited the imagination of monolinguals.

Kató Lomb (2008, p. 178)

Introduction

Linguistic biographies on or by polyglots are far and few between, even

though they would make interesting reading material, in particular, where
the multiple acquisition and maintenance of languages is concerned.
Some exceptions to this would be Charles Russel’s biography of the
Italian polyglot Cardinal Mezzofanti (1774-1849) that appeared in 1863,
Barry Farber’s classic How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily,
Inexpensively, Enjoyably And On Your Own (1991) and Bill Handley’s
Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language (2005), as would Dr. Dimitri
Spivak’s 1989 collection of interviews with polyglots in Kak stat
poliglotom (“How one becomes a polyglot”). Whereas such writings by
Russel, Farber and Handley fortunately appear in English, Spivak’s does
not, thereby remaining a closed book, so to speak, for those unable to read
Russian.1
There seems to have been a larger interest in polyglots in Eastern
European countries (Gethin and Gunnemark, 1996, p. 318), which is also
evidenced by another significant Eastern European linguistic
autobiography, entitled Így tanulok nyelveket (“This is how I learn
____________________
*Email address for correspondence: [email protected]
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Languages for ALL / BISAL 3, 2008,77-87

languages”). The book was written by the Hungarian polyglot Dr. Kató
Lomb (1909-2003) and carries the subtitle Egy tizenhat nyelvű tolmács
feljegyzései (“Notes of a sixteen-language interpreter”). Although
originally published in Hungary in 1970, with reprints in 1972, 1990 and
1995, as well as translations into Russian, Latvian and Japanese (Alkire,
2005), a long-awaited English language edition has only appeared
recently. Polyglot: How I Learn Languages has been skilfully translated
by Ádám Szegi and Kornelia DeKorne, was edited by Scott Alkire, and
can be freely accessed online at www.tesl-ej.org.
Readers may already be familiar with Kató Lomb’s name and some of
her ideas on language learning from two earlier informative English
publications (Alkire, 2005; Krashen & Kiss, 1996). However, the
publication of Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, now makes a more
direct and closer look at Lomb’s work available to a wider audience for
the first time.

Kató Lomb: A Life in Many Languages

Dr. Kató Lomb was born in Pécs, Hungary, on 8 February 1909 and
became one of few well-known female polyglots in the world. Largely
unknown to the West, she slowly came to prominence following an
interview with Steven Krashen in 1995 and a subsequent article (Krashen
& Kiss, 1996). She had a zest for life, travelling and languages, as well as
holding a doctorate degree in physics and chemistry. Working as an
occasional language teacher and professional translator, Lomb was also
one of the first professional simultaneous interpreters in the world.
Languages and language learning were her passion, as is clearly
evidenced throughout Polyglot. How I Learn Languages. Other major
publications include: Egy tolmács a világ körül (“An interpreter around
the world”) which appeared in 1979, Nyelvekről jut eszembe...
(“Languages remind me...”) from 1983, and Bábeli harmónia (Interjúk
Európa híres soknyelvű embereivel) (“Harmony of Babel (Interviews with
famous multilinguals in Europe)”) published in 1988. Lomb mainly
learned her languages as an autodidact later in life, following early
linguistic explorations in her childhood and teens. This eventually
resulted in a wide variety of languages with various degrees of
proficiency: Hungarian (mother tongue); Russian, English, French and
German, which lived inside her “simultaneously with Hungarian” and
where she could “switch between any of these languages with great ease”;
Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Polish, which generally required
her “to spend about half a day” to brush them up; and Bulgarian, Danish,
Latin, Romanian, Czech and Ukrainian, which she knew through
translating literature and technical material (Lomb, 2008, p. xviii). Dr.
Lomb died in Budapest on 9 June 2003.
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Outline of the Book

The book has a clear layout and is divided into manageable sections that
are easy to digest, whereby Lomb has kept the use of technical linguistic
terminology to a minimum. The English rendition reads well and the
translators have managed to maintain the various prose styles that Lomb
uses throughout the book to convey her points (Alkire, 2008, p. ix). In
addition, great care has been taken in providing translations and helpful
explanatory footnotes in this “polyglot” text with regard to the variety of
Lomb’s linguistic references, such as those in Hungarian, but also in
Latin, German, French, Spanish and Russian, to name a few.
The book begins with a preface written by the editor, Scott Alkire,
which provides some background information on Lomb, the book and the
implications for language learning and second language acquisition
theory. This is followed by the forewords to the 1970, 1972 and 1995
editions. The introduction then recounts Lomb’s own linguistic
development and gradual acquisition of the 16 languages mentioned
earlier.2 The book continues with a brief discussion of what counts as a
language (Chapter 1), why we (should) study languages (Chapter 2), the
types of language to study (Chapter 3), and “easy” and “difficult”
languages (Chapter 4). This is followed by sections on how to study
languages (Chapter 5) and who the book is (and is not) for (Chapter 6),
including a discussion of various language instruction methods (e.g.
translation method, direct method, immersion method, accelerated
learning, relaxation methods, et cetera). Lomb then spends four chapters
on learning through reading (Chapters 7 to 10), which is a major
component of her own study method, involving an active and explorative
approach to the frequent use of books. These chapters are particularly
worth a read. Subsequent to a description of which languages people
study in Chapter 11, she then reflects on vocabulary learning, the role of
context therein, as well as age and language learning in the next four
chapters. This is followed by a discussion of the role of dictionaries and
textbooks in Chapters 16 and 17, prior to zooming in on the topic of
conversing in a foreign language (Chapters 18 and 19).
The book then moves on to a less theoretical and more practical
approach. Chapter 20, “How I Learn Languages”, which could be seen as
the heart of the book, describes how Lomb practically sets out on learning
a new language. This chapter outlines her ten requests and seven
prohibitions for “achieving an acceptable level of linguistic mastery
within an acceptable time frame” (Lomb, 2008, p. 161).3 Language
proficiency and (self-)assessment are the subject of the next chapter, prior
to a demythologisation of the alleged existence of an innate “linguistic
gift” in Chapter 22. Here, Lomb refers to several well-known male and
female polyglots of the past, but also states: “Unfortunately, the famous
polyglots of the past have not been accurately portrayed in regards to their
abilities.” (p. 178)4 The book then draws to a close with information on
language careers (Chapter 23), an entertaining look at Lomb’s interpreting
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career (Chapter 24) and reminiscences from her travels (Chapter 25),
before finishing with some reflections on language change (Chapter 26)
and an epilogue.

Significance for Language Learners, Teachers and Researchers

In this section, I would like to highlight several issues touched upon by

Lomb that may be of particular interest to language learners, teachers and
researchers. This list is by no means exhaustive. Several points overlap
and related topics can be found in more detail throughout the book.

Adult learners: never too old to learn

Readers should note that Lomb wrote her book with a specific kind of
audience in mind, namely one that “doesn’t really exist: the Average
Language Learner, or ALL” (p. 51). The ALL is aged between 16 and 96
and can be of any profession, and further on Lomb speaks about “adult
language learners” (p. 61) and “an adult, a working person” (p. 63). The
book, written by an adult language learner, is primarily aimed at adults, or
more mature language learners, describing what they can do in order to
become successful language learners. Age should not form a barrier to
language learning and Lomb refers to the time available in retirement and
the frequent use of mnemonics to keep learning in our later years. As an
account of adult language learning, the book presents a detailed addition
to other research carried out into adult learners as good language learners
(Naiman et al, 1996).

Awareness in language learning: mindful repetition

Another point Lomb raises is the role and kind of repetition in language
learning. Instead of the mere rote drilling typical of “immersion”
methods, where “foreign language patterns are taught by endless
repetition” (Lomb, 2008, p. 59) for many hours, which can easily turn
into a form of mindless repetition, she recommends that repetition should
be more mindful. Attention must be paid to reveal the theoretical
connections, by thinking of what you are about to drill, so as to become
consciously aware of the patterns and regularities in a language, such as
grammatical rules. It could be argued that Lomb stresses the importance
here of developing – and leveraging – one’s metalinguistic awareness, i.e.
an awareness of how languages work, rather than merely relying on
mindless drilling for successful language learning. Such awareness has
been identified as a potential key factor in the learning of additional
languages.5 This emphasis on attentive and mindful activity also applies
to the repeated use of audio and audio-visual materials, such as radio,
television, videos (and nowadays podcasts and online clips). Instead of
just letting things play in the background, Lomb states that it is better to
pay careful attention for brief periods:
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The eternal rule holds here as well: you should do this for a short
time but with full intensity rather than sitting around beside the
radio or the tape recorder with your thoughts wandering among
yesterday’s experiences or tomorrow’s hopes. (p. 94)

In sum, brief bursts of repeated attentive listening/watching are more

effective than merely letting the tape roll, so to speak.

Attitude not aptitude: disposing of the myth of the “linguistic gift”

One of the more important messages in the book is Lomb’s

demythologisation of an innate “linguistic gift”, on which she spends a
separate chapter (Chapter 22). Lomb claims, and I agree, that successful
language learning is not so much due to having a special gift or ability,
but rather the result of perseverance, motivation and dedication:
“[S]uccess in learning anything is the result of genuine interest and
amount of energy dedicated to it.” (p. xviii) This should come as a great
support for people who claim that they are unable to learn another
language, simply because they believe that they have “no talent” for it. As
Lomb has shown, and as demonstrated by millions of other language
learners worldwide, learning another language is more a matter of attitude
than aptitude.

Storming the castle: a multipronged approach

One of my favourite parts in the book is Lomb’s analogy between

learning another language and storming a castle. The siege of a castle
means continuous work and not just focusing on one particular thing. It
needs to be attacked from all sides and is conquered gradually, bit by bit.
One should be inventive and creative, using all the resources at one’s
disposal. Furthermore, with each little victory, a sense of achievement is
obtained. This multipronged approach to language learning, also referred
to as the “multiple track attack” (Farber, 1991), has been identified as a
key characteristic of successful language learners, who use a variety of
strategies and adapt these where necessary, based on their own experience
(Kemp 2007, 2008; Rivers, 1996).

You are in charge: personal responsibility and the role of teachers

Taking personal responsibility is key in successful language learning.

Lomb states that language learners should not rely predominantly on
teachers, but should try and set their own course, in which teachers act as
facilitators. In underling such taking charge, her views are in accordance
with the self-direction and ownership that have been identified as
characteristics of “expert learners” (Rivers, 1996). This is not to say that
Lomb downplays the role of teachers in the language learning process:
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“[M]y method is designed to supplement and accelerate teacher-guided

learning rather than replace it.” (Lomb, 2008, p. 69) Whenever possible,
she would always try to get access to a professional educator, or at least a
native-speaking exchange student, so as to learn how to pronounce a new
language correctly (p. 150) and to get feedback on written work, whereby
she would start with free composition and gradually move towards
translating into the new language as her confidence grew (p. 155). In this
respect, teachers and helpful native speakers remain an invaluable
resource for feedback and error correction.

Learning should be fun: interesting content

Throughout the book, Lomb stresses that foreign language learning

materials should be of interest to the learner. This point is also made
frequently by polyglot Steven Kaufmann in his book The Way of The
Linguist. A Language Learning Odyssey (2005) and on his online blog.6
Language learners should select their own materials, which should be of
interest to them. When learning another language, interesting materials
will make it easier to keep up the motivation to work on and with the
language.

Continuous tinkering: doing something everyday

Lomb suggests 60-90 minutes daily as a minimum for language learning,

with a minimum of 10-12 hours a week (Lomb, 2008, p. 62). In order to
acquire a language at a satisfactory level, one should “tinker” with the
language on a daily basis: “Spend time tinkering with the language every
day – if there is no more time available, then at least to the extent of a 10-
minute monologue.” (p. 159) The point Lomb makes here is that a little
bit more often is better than doing a lot, or too much, infrequently. This is
also the reason why she recommends tying in language learning with
one’s daily work, so as to make the learning process an integral part of
one’s life. The monologue she refers to above, or rather the “autologue”
as she prefers to call it, is an excellent means for language learning. If
there is no-one around to talk to, then you can just talk to yourself,
whether aloud or silently. It is a great way to work actively with the
language and to learn to think in it. Above all, you can do it anytime,
anywhere.

Learning vocabulary and grammar: active and explorative reading

Another point I would like to mention deals with Lomb’s perspective on

learning grammar and vocabulary. In her view, grammar remains an
important and essential part of language and should be seen as a
“catalyst”. She is not much in favour of drilling rules of grammar, but
recommends a more explorative approach: “[T]he knowledge you obtain
at the expense of some brainwork will be more yours than what you
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receive ready-made.” (p. 116) Learners should first try to figure out the
rules by themselves through active reading and critical comparison,
consciously asking questions as to why and how, rather than these being
merely presented to them in a grammar book or by a teacher from the
start. Taking such a pro-active approach will ensure better retention and
internalisation of such self-discovered patterns. In addition, she argues
that it is of major importance in learning to write.
Lomb also comments on various methods of vocabulary learning,
such as making glossaries, learning words in bunches, guessing from
context, repeated exposure, writing downs phrases, using dictionaries and
memorisation (by using mnemonics). These all have their pros and cons,
but central once again is that learners should take an active approach,
which will aid retention. Learners should personalise these methods by
applying them to their specific situation and the vocabulary they want to
learn. In combining and personalising these methods, retention will
improve, since there are more nails to hang things on. In this regard,
Lomb particularly underlines the importance of learning words in context,
rather than on their own.
The above is the reason for Lomb’s insistence on using books
(although not to the exclusion of speaking and listening practice) in
learning another language, since these allow for frequent exposure to
grammatical structures and vocabulary in context. A book is portable, can
be turned to at any time and helps to create your own “person linguistic
microclimate” (p. 77).

Technology and language learning: do not become lazy

Although Lomb does not mention this in her book, the same could be said
of some current technological devices, such as laptops (with internet
connection) and portable digital players. Their portability allows for
similar exposure, but with the added benefit of accompanying audio
material, thereby enhancing one’s personal learning environment.
However, unlike a book these are dependent on sufficient battery power
and – on a personal note – frequently provide unbeneficial distraction
from the language learning task at hand. Lomb refers to a wide variety of
modern electronic resources (television, radio, CDs, cassettes, et cetera)
in her book, but one can only speculate what she would have made of
CALL technologies, virtual learning environments and (interactive)
online resources available to language learners today. I do not know
whether or not she used such technologies or online resources in her own
language learning (or maintenance), but Lomb indicates that technology
has its place in language learning:

Even if we, the generation raised on books, view the effects of

cinema, radio, and TV with anxiety in this respect, we must admit
that these technological achievements are of enormous help in
spreading culture, which can promote language learning. It cannot
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be emphasised too strongly that the main purpose of language

learning is to enable communication between speakers of different
vernaculars, and technology can facilitate this. (p. 61)

Technology can – and often does – facilitate language learning, but

Lomb would probably remind us to use it actively and mindfully in order
for it to be effective, as we saw earlier in this article. Nevertheless,
considering the fact that Lomb wrote another preface to the 1995 edition
of her book, 25 years after its first publication, some more detail on how
she viewed or may have used such CALL technologies and online
language learning resources would have been a welcome addition.

Balancing the four skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking

Readers should not infer from Lomb’s emphasis on reading in her method
that she believes that the other three language skills, i.e. writing, speaking
and listening, are less important. However, based on her own experience,
and those of others, she is acutely aware that time constraints often play
an issue in a balanced development of all four skills: “If you neglect any
of these four skills you have only accomplished part of your goal. In
practice, however, short-shrifting one or more often occurs. It is usually
not for matters of principle but for lack of time.” (p. 89)
As far as writing is concerned, Lomb refers to it in terms of noting
down phrases in the context of vocabulary acquisition and working her
way through written exercises in textbooks with answer keys, as well as
free composition (so as to try out new structures and vocabulary acquired
through reading) and eventually translation into the new language, as
mentioned previously. Applied in this way, translation can prove useful in
gradually widening one’s linguistic comfort zone, when checked and used
as a language learning tool (rather than as a means for producing
professional translations intended for publication).
Lomb mainly discusses conversing in another language in Chapters 18
and 19. However, one of the places where Lomb also touches upon
speaking and listening is in the context of pronunciation in Chapter 10,
entitled “Reading and Pronunciation”. Although books remain one of her
favourite language learning tools, they do have one significant
shortcoming (even audio books, as we will see in a moment): “Books,
alas, cannot teach you exact pronunciation.” (p. 89) No matter how much
learners listen to radio broadcasts, other audio material or watch
television (which should always be done in a mindful and attentive
manner), correction by a teacher or native speaker remains indispensable
in learning to pronounce the new language (as well as sound, stress,
intonation and rhythm for that matter). Pronunciation does not have to be
perfect, and speakers may have an accent, but language learners should be
aware that incorrect pronunciation can change the meaning of a word,
thereby hampering effective communication. In addition, Lomb
emphasises that learning good pronunciation involves both listening and
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speaking. Good pronunciation is not acquired by continuous listening

alone, but learners must also practise pronunciation themselves. Even if
pronunciation may be “one of the most difficult tasks of language
learning”, as Lomb rightly points out, it often appears as the main
benchmark “your knowledge is judged by when you first speak” (p. 90).

Conclusion

Not intended as an academic text per se, Polyglot: How I Learn

Languages nevertheless touches upon many issues relevant to research
into (multiple) language acquisition, maintenance and proficiency, in
particular, with respect to adult learners. Overall, the book is a compelling
and inspirational autobiographic read, providing a wide variety of
effective language learning suggestions and strategies, as well as an
invaluable insight into the personal linguistic journey of a remarkable
female polyglot. As such, it would form a great addition to the library of
language students, teachers, researchers, and not to mention aspiring
polyglots: “If I have been able to infect only a few people, then I have
achieved my purpose with this book.” (Lomb, 2008, p. xx) In my case, I
believe she has.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Jean-Marc Dewaele and the anonymous

reviewer for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.

Notes

1. Although an English translation of some fragments can be found

online on a “Polyglot” forum: http://how-to-learn-any-
language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1489&KW=spivak&TPN
=1, accessed online 28-12-2008.

2. Lomb states these 16 languages in her 1970 preface, but also began to
study yet another language, Hebrew, in her eighties (Alkire, 2005, p.
18).

3. See Alkire (2005) for a detailed discussion of the language learning

strategies advocated by Lomb here and their relation to SLA theory.

4. A similar sentiment is expressed by Kenneth Hyltenstam, one of few

researchers in Europe who currently carry out research on polyglots,
when he states that polyglots have “only minimally been the focus of
systematic study” even though the “existence of exceptionally
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multilingual individuals is well attested anecdotally” (Hyltenstam,

2008).

5. For an account of the role of metalinguistic awareness in third

language acquisition, see Jessner (1999).

6. See: http://www.thelinguist.blogs.com, accessed online 28-12-2008.

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Ron Peek is a doctoral student in the Department of Applied Linguistics

and Communication, Birkbeck, University of London. His current
research focuses on multiple language acquisition, maintenance and
proficiency in polyglots. He also works as a professional translator.

© R. Peek 2008.