Learning multiple languages

6 Minute English

BBC

Language Learning, Education

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is learning languages good for you? Hannah from the What in the World podcast joins us to discuss.

Listen to Hannah’s podcast What in the World https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct67x6

TRANSCRIPT Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/250410

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Transcript

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0:00.0	6 Minute English from BBC LearningEnglish.com.
0:05.4	Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
0:10.2	I'm Neil and today I'm here with Hannah from BBC podcast What in the World.
0:15.2	Hello Hannah.
0:15.8	Hi Neil.
0:16.8	Hannah and the What in the World team have been investigating what it's like to learn multiple languages
0:22.4	and she's here to tell us more about it. Welcome to Six Minute English. Thank you so much for having me.
0:28.0	And it's great to have you here. Now in this program, we help you improve your English and maybe English
0:33.8	is the first language you have ever tried to learn. Or maybe you know a lot of languages.
0:39.3	Well, someone who knows multiple languages is called a polyglot.
0:44.3	Neil, are you a polyglot?
0:46.3	I speak a little bit of a few languages, but I couldn't say that I'm a polyglot.
0:51.3	How about you?
0:52.3	I am a polyglot. Wow. I feel really impressed and a bit
0:57.3	intimidated. Now, Hannah, we always start our program off with a question. So here it goes. Which country
1:05.1	has the most official languages recognised by their government? So is it A, Zimbabwe, B, Switzerland or C, Bolivia?
1:13.9	I would guess Zimbabwe. Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, Hannah,
1:20.2	you've been finding out about some of the benefits of being a polyglot.
1:24.4	Yes, Neil, there's been lots of research about how knowing more than one language can change
1:30.1	your brain. And this might have some health benefits too. At what in the world, we spoke to
1:35.6	Professor Frederic Liegeois, who's a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London.
1:42.3	Babies, even before they speak, have to tune into the languages around them
	...

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