Testing polyglot Alan Bigulov’s strategy for superintensive entry into conversational practice

Abstract

The article is devoted to reality-testing a unique language acquisition technique proposed by the polyglot Alan Bigulov. The novelty lies in super-intensive quick start, which allows a student to begin talking in a target language with native speakers (including speakers of different regional language variants) within seven to ten days on topics related to priority communicative tasks for that language learner. In this regard, the article raises the theoretical issue of priorities and intentions of a linguistic personality in the process of speech activity. The study of polyglottery is included in the ethnopsycholinguistic research agenda on bi-, poly-, and multilingualism. In the theoretical part of the article, the correlation of the phenomenon of polyglottery with multi- and multilingualism is considered. The practical research method consisted in daily monitoring the speech behaviour of a polyglot in the process of super intensive conversational practice in target languages, and then in applying the observed strategies during the author’s own Spanish initial super-intensive language sessions. Language practice sessions were recorded on video to be later analyzed in order to identify effective components of the methodology. Alan Bigulov’s method is based on a synthesis of polyglots’ communicative strategies described in books and articles by Dina Nikulicheva and on his own experiment of learning ten new languages during the project “10 languages in 1,000 days”. The key component of this super-intensive method is the use of Internet language platforms. This makes it possible to communicate each time with a new interlocutor, and to repeatedly practice vocabulary, grammatical structures and topics in new communicative situations. The fact that the student himself directs the process of communication, which involves the preparation of prioritized questions for discussion in language sessions during the days of the super-intensive practice, is an essential part of the new method. The experiment proved the fundamental possibility of using the super-intensive technique by ordinary students in order to quickly remove the language barrier and enter conversational practice already at the initial stage of language learning. Monitoring and analyzing the practice sessions allowed the author to identify the key components of the technique and its potential limitations.