Self-taught Chennai boy reads and writes over 106 languages, speaks 10

He has also learned the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is a universal way to transcribe the sound of any spoken language to know its pronunciation.

An eight-year-old polyglot from Chennai has been attracting a lot of attention for his unique talent to read and write as many as 106 languages. With the help of the internet, especially YouTube, Niall Thoguluva learned a plethora of languages.

With the help of the internet, especially YouTube, Niall Thoguluva learned a plethora of languages. (Facebook/@Balasubramanian Sundaresan)

He has also learned the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is a universal way to transcribe the sound of any spoken language to know its pronunciation.

Speaking to ANI, Niall said, “I do not know how my interest in languages began. I can read and write over 106 languages and can fluently speak 10 languages. I am currently learning five new languages.”

The child prodigy is also teaching pronunciation skills to his parents.

Lauding Niall’s efforts to master over hundred languages at such a tender age, his father, Shankar Narayanan, said: “Last year, he started developing an interest for new languages and from there he took a great leap. Making use of the internet, he started learning one language after another.”