4 year old Russian girl speaks 7 languages - could you?

Russian Flag

Bella, the Russian girl who spoke 7 languages when she was aged 4.

Could you and I speak seven languages in four years? (Your own and six others.) How did this little girl do it?

Firstly, it helps if your mother or spouse is a linguist, teaches languages, and is prepared to speak to you in two language on alternating days. Your own language, alternating with a second language. 

You could do this if you married somebody who spoke three languages, and you spoke three different languages. And you agreed to learn another language or two together. 

With seven days in a week, with or without a companion, you could learn and speak:

English on Sunday, French on Monday, Spanish on Tuesday, Italian on Thursday, German on Friday, Greek or Hebrew or Arabic or Chinese on Saturday, and instead of English, or just Sunday morning or mealtimes on Sunday, add whichever of Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or Chinese you were not speaking on Saturday. You could also join a bilingual Toastmasters club or one that speaks another language. The Toastmasters manuals are in several languages, including French , Arabic and Chinese.

If you don't want to join Toastmasters, you can attend as a guest. Or you could watch foreign language films with subtitles.

On the Facebook Polyglot page you frequently see somebody who wishes to learn English and will in turn teach you to speak their native language which might be Chinese or Spanish.

Fast facts

Bella Devyatkina. Mother Julia.

Bella's first 10 months were spent on her native language Russian, alternating with English.

For two months from age 10 months to one year she learned French words on 60 flashcards. (See the word, such as hand, point to the object.)

One year later, aged 2, Bella can read French and speak in the 3 languages.

End of year 3, when she is 3 years old, she starts Chinese. She watches cartoons in Chinese.

I have been using Duolingo for Spanish, and Chinese flashcards from Chineasy.

FACTS ABOUT BELLA

RUSSIAN

SPEAKS:

Russian, 

French

German

INTRODUCTION

Why did you learn your first language? 

You wanted to communicate with parents, grandparents or carers who gave you food and drink, or a toilet. You wanted to share jokes, share disappointments, share hopes about food and gifts.

Point of view. (I was born late in life.)

Baby swallows fly. Subject verb object. Subject verb.

transitive verbs need an object.  

Later you learn English to communicate with friends, family and neighbours. Then colleagues, and customers. Then giving presentation to win business or train others.

Or to win contests at club, area, division, district and international.

I am going to tell you why you should be bilingual, and that it is possible for an entire city or country to be bilingual.

BILINGUAL CITY OTTAWA 

Let's take a city. In Canada, the citizens are divided between those who speak French in Montreal, and those who speak English in Toronto. In the capital, Ottawa, to get a government job you must be fluent in both French and English in order to deal with the public. 

In English sentence structure 

a) The subject is essential. Without it you get confusion.

I was born late in life

1 A study showed nuns who were bilingual lived longer without Alzheimers. Huge saving in cost to the government and the family and reduction in stress to outsiders and the elderly person. 

(show nuns. 

Show flag.)

2 Canada

Ottawa - capital - the city of the future

English is used as the common language in Singapore, so that the Chinese can speak to the Malays and Indians.

Bilingual

(show poster)

TOASTMASTERS

2 To win an International contest you must speak perfect English. Why because you lose 5 marks.

(show slide)

Sherri Su of China was second in 2018 

CHILD

Russian child, Bella, at the age of 4 speaks seven languages and sings

(show slide)

Toastmaster

More information from:

1 Duolingo

2 Bilingual Toastmasters 

 Tamil, 

Mandarin

French

Spanish

German

3

Odyssey

Could you and I speak seven languages in four years? (Your own and six others.) How did this little girl do it?

Firstly, it helps if your mother or spouse is a linguist, teaches languages, and is prepared to speak to you in two language on alternating days. Your own language, alternating with a second language. 

You could do this if you married somebody who spoke three languages, and you spoke three different languages. And you agreed to learn another language or two together. 

With seven days in a week, with or without a companion, you could learn and speak:

English on Sunday, French on Monday, Spanish on Tuesday, Italian on Thursday, German on Friday, Greek or Hebrew or Arabic or Chinese on Saturday, and instead of English, or just Sunday morning or mealtimes on Sunday, add whichever of Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or Chinese you were not speaking on Saturday. You could also join a bilingual Toastmasters club or one that speaks another language. The Toastmasters manuals are in several languages, including French , Arabic and Chinese.

If you don't want to join Toastmasters, you can attend as a guest. Or you could watch foreign language films with subtitles.

On the Facebook Polyglot page you frequently see somebody who wishes to learn English and will in turn teach you to speak their native language which might be Chinese or Spanish.

Fast facts

Bella Devyatkina. Mother Julia.

Bella's first 10 months were spent on her native language Russian, alternating with English.

For two months from age 10 months to one year she learned French words on 60 flashcards. (See the word, such as hand, point to the object.)

One year later, aged 2, Bella can read French and speak in the 3 languages.

End of year 3, when she is 3 years old, she starts Chinese. She watches cartoons in Chinese.

I have been using Duolingo for Spanish, and Chinese flashcards from Chineasy.

I learned the Cyrillic alphabet after vising Bulgaria.

Useful Websites

wikipedia

simple wiki

wivoyage

wikitravel

tripadvisor

https://www.rbth.com/science_and_tech/2016/10/28/4-year-old-russian-girl-speaks-7-languages-how-did-she-do-this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Championship_of_Public_Speaking

 About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

Books include Wedding Speeches and Toasts (Ward Lock/Cassell)

Quick Quotations (Lulu.com) 

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Useful Websites & Resources

https://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/

https://www.wiki-calendar.com/

https://comicpoemsbynutter.blogspot.com/2020/12/how-to-write-christmas-card-poem.html

For one hour online individual tutorials or group workshops contact

annalondon8@gmail.com