Alexander Arguelles - Language Learning as Mental Exercise and Discipline

This keynote address will focus on the many analogies between language learning and athleticism. Approaching language study as a mental sport or game can provide an important and valuable key to successful learning. Just as one needs to exercise the body in order to remain physically fit, so one needs to exercise the mind in order to remain mentally fit, and studying foreign languages is a particularly effective form of mental training. Just as one needs to train properly and progressively in order to get and stay physically fit or one will risk injury, burn-out, stasis, and lopsided development, so also one needs to study properly and progressively in order to avoid similar difficulties in the mind when learning languages. One set of mental muscles that is all too often neglected even in otherwise intense polyglot workouts is the diachronic muscles, so this keynote address will lay particular stress on how the study of ancient and medieval languages can open up lost worlds and enable you to know a culture through the ages and not just as it is now. Furthermore, just as when one starts to take sports and exercise more seriously, one needs to shift one’s attitude and approaches from an amateur mindset to a professional one, so the same is true in the mental arena, and this shift can be carried from foreign language learning to other intellectual pursuits. Finally, just as physical exercise provides benefits transcending the corporeal, such as increased confidence and stamina, so also the discipline and habits necessary for success in language learning can be transferred to other, more creative pursuits after they have been developed in the study of foreign languages. The 4th annual Polyglot Conference took place on 29th and 30th October 2016 in Thessaloniki Greece, with 500 language enthusiasts, bloggers, learners, teachers, influencers, entrepreneurs, translators, and market-leading sponsors in attendance. Join us next year on 28th and 29th October 2017 in Reykjavík, Iceland! Join us at: The Language Event Join us at: Filming & Editing: Simos Batzakis