The question is, how do hyperglots master so many new tongues-and could the rest of us try to emulate them? True, they may just be more motivated than most. Many, like Keeley, are globe-trotters who have moved from country to country, picking up languages as they go. It's sometime a case of sink or swim.
Yet even with the best intentions, many of us struggle to speak another language convincingly. Keeley, who is currently writing a book on the "social, psychological and affective factors in becoming multilingual", is sceptical that it's simply a question of raw intelligence. "I don't think it's a major factor, although it does make it faster to have to have the analytical ability," he says