Timothy Doner proves Americans can be multilingual
Timothy Doner could read this Russian sign photographed in India in 23 different languages. The sign’s photographer cannot.
Americans aren't exactly known for being multilingual, but Timothy Doner might change that.
The Manhattan teenager speaks 23 — yes 23 — languages. The native English speaker started by learning Hebrew a few years ago. Now, he reads the news in eight or 10 different languages each day.
His secret to quickly becoming a polyglot? Start with the grammar.
"I tend to begin with an in-depth study of the grammar and the structure of the language," Doner told the BBC.
When he decided to learn Arabic, he spent four days learning the alphabet. It took him a week to learn to read in fluid Arabic, he told The New York Times.
Now, he can strike up conversations in Russian, Italian, Persian, Swahili, Indonesian, Hindi, Ojibwe, Pashto, Turkish, Hausa, Kurdish, Yiddish, Dutch, Croatian and German.
He teaches himself, using mostly grammar books, mobile flashcard applications and critiques he gathers by posting videos of himself speaking online. He also studies French, Latin and Mandarin at high school.
Of course, this whiz kid's prowess has already landed him on national TV.
Check him out on this clip from the TODAY show:
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