Taylor - Made

What is linguistic intelligence?

Whether spoken or written, we use words and language to portray our thoughts and ideas to others. Individuals with linguistic intelligence are often found to love words and are generally very well-written, well-spoken people. They can describe stories in such detail and can usually get individuals to tune in to their conversations without flickering. Shakespeare is an incredible case of an individual with linguistic intelligence. His works, more than 400 years old, are as still refreshing today as they were then. His writings are perfectly composed that while reading them I often feel like I’m in the middle of one of his plays.

Another one of my favorite authors, Edgar Allen Poe, is a master at his writing techniques. His use of alliteration, rhyme and repetition help to provide such a visual representation of his stories that I can literally ‘feel’ the words that I read.

I used to pride myself on being a bibliophile (bookworm), having such a fondness for etymology, but over time I seemed to have lost that connection. My words and conversations are not as witty as they used to be. I’ve been struggling with explaining my thoughts and unmistakably and inventively getting my point across. I’ve grown ‘rusty’, as many would say. I’ve lost confidence in my speech due to bad decision making in the past that has affected my ability to converse.

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that good linguistic intelligence helps to boost confidence. I have been trying these effective methods to help restore my mind: playing word games regularly, writing, journaling and studying. For the month of Nov., I’m setting a goal for myself: To finally read ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, which I’ve had for quite some time now. I always made excuses as to why I couldn’t start it, like, “I’m too busy” or “I can’t focus right now”… Ah, procrastination at its finest.

Writing doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue as speaking is for me. I credit that to being able to pause and think while typing, not to mention I can delete and replace a word with another I deem more appropriate - which is not possible with speech. I wonder if my verbal skills will one day return? Only time will tell but if not, “The pen is mightier than the sword” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton