The Makings of a Hyperglot

In the makings of a hyperglot, there’s no clear beginning. I like to think it starts with a unique set of life events that carry one across great distances—or a love of something, or someone, that irrevocably widens one’s perspective. But it can also be a mindset instilled in childhood, a mother tongue that is passed down or a passion painstakingly developed that shape how we navigate the world today.

For me, it was a mix of all of those things.

I trace my hyperglot origin story to the stories I read as a young girl and a passion I must’ve somehow inherited from my mother—a curiosity in others that lead to stacks of books. In both of our cases, books on languages, maps, and art.

Like many other hyperglots, I spent a lot of my time in “international spaces” and have also been transplanted in different cities that I had to adapt to and make home. That meant speaking a new language, learning new city roads, and becoming a new local. And through it all, losing touch with what is current and relevant in my home ground.

My personal quest is to poke at this concept of the “in-between” that I’ve somehow made home and relish in the differences that I’ve yet to uncover. That is both reconnecting with my roots and learning more about others’. My quest with The Hyperglot is to share what I learn throughout my journey, celebrating the differences that others can teach me, all while focusing on my three consistent loves: language, culture, and design.

Yes, we’ll be exploring language-related, culture-specific and design-oriented topics. But you don’t have to be a polyglot, an anthropologist, or a designer to be a hyperglot. Nor do you need to be any of these three things to appreciate a beautiful language system, cultural diversity, or good design. You just have to be curious, open-minded, and interested in how we, as humans, communicate.

So with that said, welcome to The Hyperglot! I hope that, together, we can turn this into another beginning.