This seems to be becoming a trend. A well known polyglot was responding to criticism on KZread recently and some others often get bad comments on their videos. The negative side of the polyglot community has been growing recently and one of the reasons I watch your channel is because of your laid back attitude when it comes to language learning (similar to mine) . Keep doing what you’re doing and pay no attention to the negativity. It’s hard but just don’t give people air time.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Glad you like it here, I will keep it up 😁 I think maybe the toxic part of the community is just a "loud minority"?

@steveb851

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot There are a lot of “loud minorities” nowadays and they get a lot of attention. But the vast majority of people here like your channel otherwise they wouldn’t be here 😎

I have attended 5 Polyglot Gatherings in person + several more online and I have NEVER experienced ANY criticism, on the contrary, people from the community have always been very supportive, friendly and kind. It seems to me it may be other people who have not so much experience learning foreign languages who tend to criticise YT polyglots.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience, I would love to attend one day ☺️

@barbaramk1315

5 ай бұрын

When you come, I'll find you to talk to you because we have as many as 7 languages in common! And are you planning a presentation for this year's PG online? I enjoyed your previous ones even though Catalan is not one of my languages.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

@@barbaramk1315 that would be so cool! :) I actually applied but did not hear back, I guess my topic was not that interesting hehe It would have been a recorded presentation cause I will be travelling for work during those days

I feel like a lot of the community can be toxic in the sense that if you learn a language you need to get to a c2 level otherwise they’ll criticize you and say that you don’t really speak it or whatever. I think this mindset ruins the fun of language learning (at least for me) and that’s why I like your channel really much cuz for instance el meu nivell de català no és el millor però ho entenc i puc comunicar-me i mantenir una conversa (encara que parle amb molt castellanismes, però estic treballant en això) i això està bé.

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

A lot of people misunderstand those ppl who are actually just mad at other ppl for not using their talent choosing to get to a2 only like you right now, but rarely you see some bad people

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

One of my main goals with this channel is taking the stress out of language learning, so I am glad you feel this is a safe space for that :) El perfeccionisme pot ser molt negatiu, millor no obsessionar-se amb els errors :)

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

The thing though is that everyone has their goals (regarding other topics too, such as regarding reading, fitness...) and life responsibilities, so most can not spend as much time as they would want on specific languages. And for some only the discovery phase is exciting, so they would rather switch to another one than get to a higher level

No one should pick on you. Your natural sweetness comes through on your videos! I love your channel!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for being so kind :)

Laura - Always great listening to you. I love your perspective - and find myself regularly working through the exact issues you describe in trying to find “the balance” (with my “other life”) - and in deciding how proficient I really want to beome in the languages I study (so that it stays FUN and fascinating). THANKS for all that you do! - :)

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot, Ken! Glad you liked it 😄👍

I don't know about in-person but I think most of the negative comments online come from people who I wouldn't really consider to be in the community. They show up and for whatever reason feel the need to leave a negative comment then they move on to some other random video. I think it's also important to keep in mind the facts the humans have a negativity bias so those comments stick out the most and that those negative comments might not actually have negative-intent behind them, it's too easy to misinterpret a comment online.

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

It's easy if you just think about it which most people don't do and just decide what someone with what emotion wanted to say

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

I had not thought so much about that, you are right. Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

I think everyone's methods and reasons for learning languages are the correct ones, it's a personal thing ultimately :) Moltes gràcies pel vídeo Laura, el teu canal m'ha ajudat molt amb català :)

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Exactly 😌 Ooooh que bé, me n'alegro 😊👍

Great thoughts Laura!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot, Usman!

I'm like how you were, Laura, where my friends and family don't really understand my passion and interest in learning languages! But since I joined Italki as a student, I've noticed there are a lot of people out there who love studying languages. The polyglot community is definitely openminded and friendly, which I guess you have to be if you want to speak to people in different languages. I've fortunately never faced any criticism, but I suppose you'll get negative people in any social sphere. Love your channel Laura!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

It is awesome to hear you've had such a nice experience so far 🙏😌 Thanks for your kind words, glad you love my channel 🥰🥰🥰

Hi beautiful, you have come a long way. Proud of you!👍🏻

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for your kind words 😊

We're so glad to have you in the HYPIA family!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot, happy to be part of it :)

Heck, I don't like languages and I don't understand any language well. I just work hard to be able to communicate with people for those rare cases where someone cares about something I have to share. I've studied languages for decades and I'll never be a polyglot. Keep having fun. I enjoy your channel.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Communication should always be the key, not everyone has the same goals anyway, so we should not judge each other's progress or be to harsh on ourselves 🙏 Glad you enjoy my channel, let me know if you have any ideas 💡🙂

Hi Laura! Nice video

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot 😌👍

I was talking about this with a friend I do language exchange with and we agreed that It's impossible to set a standard where people can say "I speak X language" because it's too subjective. When people ask me which languages I speak I say the languages that I have a b2+ level, those that are b1- I say that I'm studying, but it's my choice, what I don't understand is why people fight about it on the internet (irl the community is very different, imo)

@Lautarx

5 ай бұрын

I mean I feel like it's plain dishonest to claim you know a language you are just a2 at, for example.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

I normally say "I speak a bit of X" or "I know some basic Y", that is what I do when I talk about my Swedish level. Or I will say "I have an A1-A2 in Swedish". But yeah, I would not feel comfortable saying "I speak Swedish"

Never knew there was such a thing as a polyglot community. I’ve always loved learning languages and when travelling would always learn at least the basics of the language of the country I was travelling to. I am bilingual with good knowledge of two other languages and refreshed knowledge of others when travelling. It’s just a nice thing to do and to have but nothing special. Thank you for sharing 💕🌿

@Doing_Time

5 ай бұрын

"community" is a wokism, but nonnative speakers wouldn't know that... wokists with their critical theories have successfully gotten the unwitting to substitute the term for various types of group memberships in order to group those in with single characteristic identitarian features (like demographics, but reversed meaning) and they have a devious purpose for that re-definition of common language outside of the realm of discussion in this channel

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

​@Doing_Time you should shape your sentences more clearly and use commas where necessary cuz i can't understand shite from that broken english

@Doing_Time

5 ай бұрын

@@BelaPuma lol, nice irony

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

I guess there's a big number of language enthusiasts that sort of came together through the internet. There are Facebook groups, KZread channels, live events... That is my understanding of the community 🙂

Yo "solo" hablo dos idiomas, pero me encanta ver tus videos y los de otros poliglotas porque me inspiran aprender más. Da igual si hablas dos o doce idiomas. Si lo disfrutas, no des importancia a los "haters" Gracias a ti y otros poliglotas, voy a intentar aprender italiano, francés, portugués y aún alemán. Gracias por la inspiración.😊

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

Si así es prueba te el busuu y lingq

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Ese es el espíritu, 100% de acuerdo 😌👍 Me alegro de que te guste mi canal y que te haya motivado a seguir aprendiendo 😊

For me you are a super hyper polyglot 😅 i like your videos but sometimes its frustrating because i'm struggling to learn just spanish and you talk all this languages so good and easy. Selbst dein Deutsch ist so gut wie meins und das ist meine Muttersprache 😅

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

You are so kind, thanks a lot. Vielen Dank! Jeder ist anders, ich habe extrem viel Zeit in Sprachen investiert und es ist auch meine großte Leidenschaft. Am besten nicht vergleichen und den Lernprozess genießen :)

I find the polyglot community extremely toxic. You just need to see any of the big youtubers latest videos (xiaoma for example) and people always be complaining on the comments "well he is not speaking he only knows how to say a couple of sentences and random words" like thats less impressive or has no merit whatsoever.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

What a pity 😔 But thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts on this 👍😊

Often what somebody says about others, says more about themselves than anybody else. Just keep being the best version of yourself!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Exactly, thanks a lot for your encouraging words 😊👍

I share the same thoughts as yours and many of the comments in this video. I like languages as a hobby if I have to move to another country or learn a language for a serious reason then it becomes a chore.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Exactly, I am experiencing this a bit with Swiss German, I actually feel more connected to Swedish somehow 😅

Thanks for the insightful video lovely Laura 🎁. I completely agree with the points you made. Language learning (as a hobby) should be fun and exciting, not a competition! It’s not always a good idea to pressure others into learning a language because we all have different abilities and priorities. The community should be a welcoming place for anyone who is passionate about languages and cultures, not a testing centre for polyglot qualifications 🧐. It’s good to have aspirations and ambitions, but the main goal should be to have fun with language learning and explore different cultures 💝

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

A lot of people misunderstand those ppl who are actually just mad at other ppl for not using their talent choosing to get to a2 only like you right now, but rarely you see some bad people

@habeng7208

5 ай бұрын

@@BelaPuma It’s not about “not using your talent”, it’s about having different priorities and organising the environment of the community in a way that’s less competitive/judgmental and more encouraging/supportive. For example, if someone says “I want to learn this language up to a certain level “ or says “This level of knowledge is enough for me”, the supportive response would be something like “well done for getting to the level you want” or “how cool that you learned this language up to that level. What’s great about this language/culture? What new ideas and concepts did you learn?”. That should be the main focus- to learn about other cultures and, hopefully, enrich your own culture. The attitudinal/emotional environment should be mainly focused on fun and exploring, and be too bothered with academic accomplishments! (We have colleges for that 🧐). And I think that in general, this generation is too focused on goals and doesn’t focus enough on fun and exploration 👍

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

@@habeng7208 well the point is you can't learn any concept/culture and language to unforgettable until upper b1/b2 and they're mad at them for wasting their time on something they're inevitably gonna forget and then also talk about how that's ok cuz then other people are gonna try the same,inevitably forget the language and then talk about how it's impossible to learn a language or it takes years, personally i find that comportment stupid and i don't see the point of explaining it to someone that doesn't wanna hear it and decide that I'm making fun of them or being mean

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

100% agree 👏👏👏

it's probably typically internet. keyboard warriors are everywhere, but they wouldn't dare to attack you irl. and also, it's quite a nerdy hobby with two general directions - the perfectionists with a c2 in maybe a handful of languages and the communicators with some basic knowledge in many languages. who's right and who's wrong? there's no right and wrong, but that's difficult to understand for the keyboard warriors. in the end, people are usually quite happy if you speak (or try to...) their language. and understanding a new language gives you access to another world, and that's what counts.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

You are right 👍👍👍 I agree 💯 percent. Let's ignore the warriors and have fun 😌

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Let's ignore the warriors then 😂😁

@thomasfleck6552

5 ай бұрын

that's the point, they gain power by attention. ignoring them makes them shrink / become less important / kind of deflate

I totally agree with you. 😊

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

You ARE a polyglot :)

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks :D

Thanks for your balanced opinion. By the way, is it worth going to the "Polyglot Gathering" at all? What's your mind? I think of it sometimes but maybe it's just wasting of time & money. If there's just a big advertising scene forbsome well known polyglots who just want to sell their language learning apps... It doesn't convince me. Each of us have to discover our own way to learn languages and bear obstacles such as lack of time or energy. Thanks! Dziękuję Pozdrawiam z Polski - Greetings from Poland 🇵🇱

@CouchPolyglot

3 ай бұрын

I have never been there, I would love to go, but somehow never make it. It is a lot of time and money indeed... and this year has been too stressful so far due to work, so I decided not to go. Maybe next year?

Were you invited to Budapest last year? I would have liked seeing you together with Linguriosa and Liga Romanica. This year is in Prague I think

@ValentinCabezas

5 ай бұрын

Or veletta?

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Nope, it would have been cool, but I am somehow always too busy with my job to go... I normally plan my vacations first and then have no more days to take off for that. Or I feel too stressed about other stuff, so going to the Gathering would be nice, but also stressful

the only think i don't like i that a lot of the polyglot community takes themselves too seriously and don't have a big sense of humour like when language simp got popular some people were hating on him because language learning is serious business especially the older ones. i know this is a strange comparison to make but its the only hobby community i was into for a long time but the retro gaming community became like this over the years. 15 years ago these guys were all in their 20s and 30s and were very funny and hip but now they are all over 40 or 50 and take themselves too seriously and hate slang words and block people because they swear in the comments despite them swearing like a sailor all the time in their old videos and they get mad when you mention modern slang or memes. i assume the polyglot community was always like this since its more of a timeless thing that people have been doing for all of history long before video games were a thing. and there are a lot of old people into it because it takes such a long time to get fluent. but i just noticed this behaviour but overall its a good community and a very useful skill and a lot of old people still have a good sense of humour.

@RogerRamos1993

5 ай бұрын

I'm 30 and my 2 younger brothers (I have more) are 20 and 23. Half the time, if not more, we don't get each other's humour, which can be irritating at times. So, they say something or send me a meme which is supposed to be funny. Sometimes, I don't even get it's supposed to be funny. I just ignore or say it is not funny. But if they insisted too much (which is not the case, we exchange memes and such very occasionally) I'd have to block them. The same is true the other way.

@belstar1128

5 ай бұрын

@@RogerRamos1993 I am 28 I still think it's all funny. the only one I don't get is when they use the skull emoji I keep thinking it's an insult but apparently it's not

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

​@RogerRamos1993 ye memes are supposed to be funny but some people are laughing at them like they're in kindergarden even though they're not funny i'm 22 but i don't get gen z at all

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

I also think that we should not take ourselves too seriously, I like language simp and I noticed what you mentioned in some groups too... We should all be a bit of an alpha male/female gigachad 😂😂😂 I loved it when Steve Kaufmann went to his channel and did the whole Albanian sign language thing, did you see it? 🤣

I am not a pollyglot but I would like to communicate with another mature woman who is learning Italian. I am just putting it out there. Thank you so much!

@CouchPolyglot

4 күн бұрын

I hope you find someone 😊

I agree ❤ it's about have fun and enjoy to learn differents languages and cultures toxicity is not necessary

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

100%

Ppl trying to convince themselves that the method works just cuz they like it, but mostly it ends up being slow, but busuu and watching media and then reading afterwards works the best it just needs to be comprehensive input even tho it feels like a chore sometimes cuz you wanna read and watch what's interesting not just cuz it's in the language you're learning

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

We all have different preferences though, and actually emotions and preference affect greatly our motivation. I do agree that there are some methods that work better than others, I actually know people who have been learning with Duolingo for years and barely made any progress 🤔 So it is a complex topic, I try to offer my perspective but let everyone do what they feel is right and not judge 😌 (though I sometimes feel tempted with Duolingo 😂😂😂)

Some criticism is just people trying to dunk on someone, but I do think there’s legitimate criticism of the polyglot community that a lot of new learners see the term and think it means that the person is at a level that they can comfortably do whatever they want in all their languages. Then when they try to study multiple languages they get discouraged when they can’t do certain activities they were looking forward to despite putting lots of time in. That’s why I prefer languagejones’s term linguaphile because it’s more open to anyone interested in languages, however many, to whatever levels, for whatever reasons, and it doesn’t give new learners the idea that everyone is way above them and they’re not welcome until they hit some (often unrealistic) level in so many languages.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Interesting perspective, thanks for sharing 😊

The bottom line of good communication in any language is conveying a message effectively I would say... Last week I was invited on a... podcast and the guy said: 'it sounds like you have some great things to say', which got me thinking, and might also be relevant here, because that(this) is not something a language/itself can really teach a person, although it may enable a person to do so... no one only has great things to say all the time. From what I've observed(just yesterday watched a video of celebrities who speak different languages) is that polyglots (in general) lose some of their 'street cred' or 'value' if you will when they speak about things in ways that may not be fitting and almost sound watered down... Celebs tend to be prideful which I think is part of their problem... Someone who is humble/has humility when conveying a message in a language that is not their own is beautiful... as long as they are saying something beautiful🤣because communication is beautiful, or at least should be - Lol (Always reminded of 'The creation of Adam' painting by Michelangelo when I think of being created in God's image and how it relates to communication for some reason... only humans can communicate/relate as much as we do)(Love) People can tell the difference whether someone is sincere and sincerity (is) something we all could be a little more of these days. Sincerity and humility are especially important for effective and efficient communication when communication is not in a persons native language out of respect for getting the message/your point of view across in the right way(with respect and hopefully not offending the other person...) almost like language is only the outside/reflection which doesn't really matter. A double edged sword that needs skill to wield, like Shakespeare who clearly had a firm grip on his(own). Tip of the spear🙄(is/still only the tip). Nice videos to watch that I'm reminded of🙏People react to being called Beautiful (Brussels, Belgium); Irene portugal😉

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts, I actually often think about this... I have encountered people who speak many languages, but have nothing to say 😅 Staying humble is very important, we all know almost nothing to be honest 🙏 If we stay humble, chances are we will learn more from others and from the experiences we go through 😌

@jdubruyn

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot Sorry a boat...my broken English*💙🙏Will be working on that* to get it right on time in time🙏x2😉 Debs the seat next to you though💛

Ciao Laura! Jag kan svenska! I've been living in Malmö since 2015. Hör av dig om du vill!😊 Ha det bra e grazie per questo video!!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Ciao Paola 👋 Svenska är mit favorit språk, men jag har ingen tid för att lära det här språket just nu 😅

@paolaquartini523

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot ❤️

Brava!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Grazie

Is basketball popular in Spain?

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

I would say it is very popular, of course not as much as soccer, but still very popular, lots of people watch the ACB league

Estoy de acuerdo contigo! 👍

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Genial, avísame si me olvidé de algún aspecto 👀

I’m samekind of couch polyglot speaking only swedish, finnish and english but i want to learn german 😅 at least some level.

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Sounds like a plan :)

There is so much to say here. 1. I once wanted to learn Uzbek, and someone asked me: "Do you like to learn this or do you think it's cool to say you learn this?" (some Uzbek music rocks though) - 2. There was this pre-Facebook community and one guy was bragging how Indogermanic languages are all copycats of each other and even how eeeeeeeeaaaasy the 156 cases of Tzes are. Sure dude. - 3. With AI tools and script anyone can fake it online. So showing imperfection as part of the way is the new cool. - 4. Imagine being so lonely that you go around on KZread to tell people off. - 5. It would be great to meet you on one of the events in the future. I find the online events don't to it for me anymore, as even though I considered myself hyperintroverted, the "C crisis" has made me appreciate human connections of all things.

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

C?

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Great points, thanks a lot for sharing. Some people seem to be delusional (like people who say there is no merit in learning "only" Indoeuropean languages). Also, people use their anonymity online to say things they would never say to your face :D

@MaestroBaldone

5 ай бұрын

@@BelaPuma The three year crisis we had. KZread does not like if spelled out and might list videos lower. I don't want to cause this here. :)

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

@@MaestroBaldone pretty sure comments are unrelated but at this point i who knows

Could anyone please help me to learn russian or give me good resourses in youtube?

@Svetlana-says-it-as-it-is.

5 ай бұрын

Hi there are many cool channels here and I can recommend Be Fluent in Russian and Russian with Nastya.

@user-nq6hy2tm2z

5 ай бұрын

@@Svetlana-says-it-as-it-is. hello my level right now is 0 i know maybe 20 words and i can read in russian but i can’t understand, thank you so much

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Maybe italki? Learning Russian from scratch without any classes is very difficult IMO

@user-nq6hy2tm2z

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot thanks but i don’t think this is good for me i love learning langueges by makeing sentences or from watching videos or movies

يمدي اي شخص يساعدني في تعلم اللغة روسية

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

If you are a complete beginner, I would recommend taking online classes or doing some sort of language exchange

@user-nq6hy2tm2z

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot thank you, but i don’t like this way

A lot of people misunderstand those ppl who are actually just mad at other ppl for not using their talent choosing to get to a2 only like you right now, but rarely you see some bad people

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

But people should understand that everyone's life is different and not everyone has the same goals 🤷

@BelaPuma

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot but people should understand that there's also general principle, and while they may have their opinions, they may not be informed well

Lots of nasty people out there we shouldn´t care about. Mi ha fatto piacere guardare il tuo video. Cheers!

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot, you are right :)

She is not a real polyglot she is always sitting on the couch 😂 hahaha. Swedish short stories by Olly Richards. Get this book, you can thank me later 😏 ( I always wanted to say this ) 😅

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

😂😂😂👍 I have actually been meaning to test his books 😁

what is a polyglot though

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

someone who speaks several languages :)

@Deibi078

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot how many though, If I finish one duolingo course does that language count? Lol

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

@@Deibi078 I think the question is whether you can really communicate in that language... Whenever I say "I speak Swedish" I describe it as "basic", for instance. If you only know a few sentences or are not able to speak it, I would personally not say that it counts. But everybody has a different opinion on this :D

I love the lifestyle and philosophy behind it, but the polyglot community can be very toxic, pretentious and full of egos. At least online...

@CouchPolyglot

5 ай бұрын

what a pity, but maybe it is just a small group of people who are very loud?

@samuraialfredo

5 ай бұрын

@@CouchPolyglot perhaps you're right, but it turns me away from a lot of the online community unfortunately. I have much more positive experiences with polyglot communities in person.