2024年5月19日发(作者：孟玟玉)
1-5 The Amazing Benefits of Being Bilingual
Most people in the world speak more than one language, suggesting the
human brain evolved to work in multiple tongues. If so, asks Gaia Vince, are those
of us who speak only one language missing out?
By Gaia Vince
BBC Future
, 12 August 2016
In a cafe in south Lond
双语的惊人好处
世界上大多数人都说不止一种语言，暗示人类大脑进化成多种语言。如果是这样，Gaia
Vince问道，我们这些只会说一种语言的人会错过吗？
Gaia Vince
英国广播公司未来，2016年8月12日
在南伦敦的一家咖啡馆
In a cafe in south London, two construction workers are engaged in cheerful
banter, tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic
gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. They are
discussing a woman, that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. It’s a
shame, because their conversation looks fun and interesting, especially to a nosy
person like me. But I don’t speak their language. 在伦敦南部的一家咖啡馆里，两个
建筑工人正忙于欢快的玩笑，来回地说着话。他们的刀叉在更强烈的手势下跳舞，偶尔也
会发出响亮的笑声。他们正在讨论一个女人，这很清楚，但是细节在我身上消失了。这是
一个耻辱，因为他们的谈话看起来有趣和有趣，尤其是对像我这样的好管闲事的人。但我
不会说他们的语言。
Out of curiosity, I interrupt them to ask what they are speaking. With friendly
smiles, they both switch easily to English, explaining that they are South Africans
and had been speaking Xhosa. In Johannesburg, where they are from, most people
speak at least five languages, says one of them, Theo Morris. For example, Theo’s
mother’s language is Sotho, his father’s is Zulu, he learned Xhosa and Ndebele
from his friends and neighbours, and English and Afrikaans at school. “I went to
Germany before I came here, so I also speak German,” he adds.
Was it easy to learn so many languages?
“Yes, it’s normal,” he laughs.
出于好奇，我打断他们，问他们在说什么。友好的微笑，他们都轻松地转换成英语，
解释说他们是南非人，一直在说XHOSA。在他们来自约翰内斯堡的地方，大多数人说至
少五种语言，其中一人，Theo Morris说。例如，西奥的母语是索托语，他父亲是祖鲁语，
他从朋友和邻居那里学习了科萨语和恩德贝利，在学校里还学习了英语和非洲语。他补充
2024年5月19日发(作者：孟玟玉)
1-5 The Amazing Benefits of Being Bilingual
Most people in the world speak more than one language, suggesting the
human brain evolved to work in multiple tongues. If so, asks Gaia Vince, are those
of us who speak only one language missing out?
By Gaia Vince
BBC Future
, 12 August 2016
In a cafe in south Lond
双语的惊人好处
世界上大多数人都说不止一种语言，暗示人类大脑进化成多种语言。如果是这样，Gaia
Vince问道，我们这些只会说一种语言的人会错过吗？
Gaia Vince
英国广播公司未来，2016年8月12日
在南伦敦的一家咖啡馆
In a cafe in south London, two construction workers are engaged in cheerful
banter, tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic
gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. They are
discussing a woman, that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. It’s a
shame, because their conversation looks fun and interesting, especially to a nosy
person like me. But I don’t speak their language. 在伦敦南部的一家咖啡馆里，两个
建筑工人正忙于欢快的玩笑，来回地说着话。他们的刀叉在更强烈的手势下跳舞，偶尔也
会发出响亮的笑声。他们正在讨论一个女人，这很清楚，但是细节在我身上消失了。这是
一个耻辱，因为他们的谈话看起来有趣和有趣，尤其是对像我这样的好管闲事的人。但我
不会说他们的语言。
Out of curiosity, I interrupt them to ask what they are speaking. With friendly
smiles, they both switch easily to English, explaining that they are South Africans
and had been speaking Xhosa. In Johannesburg, where they are from, most people
speak at least five languages, says one of them, Theo Morris. For example, Theo’s
mother’s language is Sotho, his father’s is Zulu, he learned Xhosa and Ndebele
from his friends and neighbours, and English and Afrikaans at school. “I went to
Germany before I came here, so I also speak German,” he adds.
Was it easy to learn so many languages?
“Yes, it’s normal,” he laughs.
出于好奇，我打断他们，问他们在说什么。友好的微笑，他们都轻松地转换成英语，
解释说他们是南非人，一直在说XHOSA。在他们来自约翰内斯堡的地方，大多数人说至
少五种语言，其中一人，Theo Morris说。例如，西奥的母语是索托语，他父亲是祖鲁语，
他从朋友和邻居那里学习了科萨语和恩德贝利，在学校里还学习了英语和非洲语。他补充