Reflection: Vaughn Smith
Recently, I’ve been thinking about Vaughn Smith, not just about how many languages he speaks, but about his deep passion for languages, how he shifted jobs, clean carpets, adjusted his life simply to create more opportunities to practice, and how his brain may have adapted through sustained multilingual immersion.
Neuroscientists, including teams from MIT, have studied him and many other polyglots who speak five or more languages. Their findings are fascinating. The brain’s language network responds differently depending on how well a language is known, while this is not surprising, what stood out is that the regions responsible for language processing light up more for highly proficient non-native languages, whereas the response for the native language is actually weaker. This happens because highly practiced non-native languages build many neural connections, and processing them requires active coordination between these pathways, while the native language has become automated, so the neural pathways are more efficient and require less effort to process
Research on multilingualism also shows that managing multiple languages can physically reshape the brain. People who speak more than one language tend to have increased gray matter in areas linked to language, memory, and cognitive control, and their white matter pathways which help different brain regions communicate also adapt structurally. What this means is that every language you learn isn’t just knowledge you carry; your brain itself changes through use. Learning and using additional languages strengthens neural connections involved in switching, listening, and controlling interference between linguistic systems. Some studies even suggest that these structural and functional changes continue across a lifetime, with immersion and consistent usage being key drivers.
I’m juggling four languages fluently and learning two more it feels very demanding at times. Seeing Vaughn’s passion and the extent of his dedication is deeply inspiring. He didn’t just study languages, he lived them, and that level of immersion is likely part of why his brain supports so many languages. Knowing that the brain adapts and learning more languages can actually make future language learning easier, resonates strongly with my own experience, keeps me excited about my ongoing language journey, and curious to observe how my brain continues to change and learn over time.
