Linguistic intelligence is the ability to effectively communicate through language, whether written or spoken. It is important for writers, speakers, translators, and professionals in law and politics. It does not necessarily correlate with high IQ and can be demonstrated through introverted or extroverted activities.
Linguistic intelligence refers to an individual’s increased ability to use one or more languages to convey written or spoken communications to others. People who have a high degree of this type of intelligence usually communicate information in a refined, sometimes esoteric way as is found with the literary medium of poetry. It assumes that a writer or speaker has a large vocabulary which he uses to impart knowledge and/or to touch and move others.
In addition to writers, people who use oration to convey ideas and impart knowledge demonstrate linguistic intelligence. In the latter case, people active in professions such as law or politics should be linguistically intelligent so that they can persuade others. They should be able to use syntax and grammar effectively and know how to make proper voice inflections and intonations beyond the strength of carefully chosen words. Though they came from wildly different ideological viewpoints, Adolf Hitler and Martin Luther King Jr. both capitalized on this quality in their speeches. What they said, and how they expressed it, had a profound and unforgettable impact on those who came to hear them and on the world at large.
Literary translators must employ this kind of intelligence to render the language of a source text into a highly accurate rendering of the target text. For example, the French term solitary can be translated, when referring to a person or place, as “solitary”, “isolated” or “alone”. When performing a literary translation, the translator must have the ability to distinguish between subtle shades of meaning in order to impart the most accurate meaning to the readers.
While the meaning of some poems is often beyond the interpretive grasp of many individuals, because it is such a highly personal expression, the preponderance of speakers tends to impart knowledge easily digested by the masses. Perhaps at an intermediate level between a politician and a poet, one would find a university professor. While some people might assume that linguistically gifted individuals have high IQs, the fact is that some do not. Their intelligence may not be as highly developed in other areas, like music and math, for example.
In daily life, many people demonstrate linguistic intelligence through both introverted and extroverted activities. Some people might like to sit on the porch of the farmhouse, as the sun is setting, and relate stories that have originated from the surrounding countryside. Others may enjoy reading the newspaper every day. Some people like to do crosswords and/or word puzzles every day. What all of these people have in common is a love of words and enjoyment of certain activities that allow them to use them or learn even more about them.
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