Wikipedia in Russian defines a polyglot as a person who knows at least five languages ​​from different language groups or subgroups.

Generally, it is supposed that a person can speak these languages.

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian belong to the same subgroup. It is clear, these languages are very similar.

Also in one subgroup are English and German. That is, strictly speaking, a person speaking 5 languages, two of which is English and German is not a polyglot? In my opinion, he undoubtedly is.

Even though they are in the same subgroup, English and German are two completely different languages, even 75% of English words are of German origin.

Let's agree that a polyglot is a person who speaks at least five languages, which significantly differ from each other.

Thus, if I speak Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew, English, and Thai, then I am not a polyglot.
To be called a polyglot, I have to learn Spanish, which I am doing now.

So which languages ​​to learn first and why?

1. Obviously, for a person whose English is not native, this language is a natural choice.
   This is the language of international communication, it is spoken by a huge number of people (residents of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, Kenya, and many other countries.)

2. The second language I would choose Spanish. It is the second most spoken language in the world (after Chinese).
   Spanish, as a foreign language, is studied by 25 million people. Many of the most popular songs are in Spanish.
   South America and Spain are popular destinations for tourism and expatriation.
   Knowing Spanish, we can also communicate with the residents of Portugal and Brazil, since Spanish and Portuguese languages ​​are very similar.

    3. Chinese. China is a global factory and one of the most technologically advanced countries.
   Knowledge of Chinese provides endless business opportunities. (And to do business with Chinese, knowledge of Chinese is necessary.) The largest (one and a half billion) number of native speakers.
   Chinese is a completely different language. This is a tonal language in which identical words have different meanings depending on the pitch with which they were pronounced. This greatly complicates the study.
   On the other hand, the Chinese language has no conjugations, gender, cases, which, of course, makes learning easier.
   The Chinese language uses hieroglyphs for writing, but here we talk more about speaking proficiency, so hieroglyphs are not a hindrance to us.

4. French. Probably the most beautiful language. The language of famous philosophers and writers. Unlike the Germans, a relatively small number of French speak English. So, to travel comfortably in France, knowledge of French is necessary.

5. German. Like French, German is the key to the vast legacy of German philosophers and writers.
   The world's best engineers live in Germany and speak German. And finally, to listen with understanding the Ramstein group, you need to know German.

6. Japanese. Japanese is unique. Japanese as well as Korean does not belong to any language family. Japan is also a culturally unique country.

7. Italian. Along with French, one of the most beautiful languages ​​in the world. Also suitable for opera lovers.

8. Korean. South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries. Also, Korea is the main producer of pop culture in Southeast Asia. Thais, Vietnamese, Chinese with pleasure watching Korean TV shows and listening to Korean songs.

9. Thai. Thailand is the most popular tourist destination in the world. At the same time, Thais hardly speak English. Thai, like Chinese, is a tonal language, which is a kind of challenge for the polyglot.

10. Swahili. The most popular of the languages ​​of Africa. It is spoken by 150 million people. Swahili is the official language in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Songs of the Bongo Flava genre popular in East Africa     written, usually in a mixture of English and Swahili. The well-known expression "Hakuna matata" (No problem) is in Swahili.

11. Hebrew. The language of the Torah and the people of Israel. No comments.

12. Arabic. Arabic like Hebrew belongs to the Semitic group of languages. It has more complicated for a European larynx pronunciation than Hebrew. Just like Hebrew has a writing from right to left. Do you want to travel comfortably in Europe? Learn Arabic.

13. Russian. Language of Putin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and me.
Honestly, I don't know why you need Russian. There is no practical benefit.
From another side, if you say to someone that you are polyglot, he will surely ask: Do you speak Russian?

Perhaps enough. From the above languages, it is quite possible to choose four and then remains only to master them and you are a polyglot!

  If you think that I have undeservedly ignored some language(s), leave a comment.