Signs of linguistic talent are cues for curiosity, not a diagnosis and not a caste stamp.
Tests measure a sample already shaped by teaching and invitation. False positives are part of the identification problem.
Early cues
- 3–6 — Sound play — Rhymes and new words stick without a lesson.
- 7–9 — Code-switching ease — The child tracks who speaks what.
- 10–13 — Self-sought input — Asks for songs, subtitles, or a second alphabet.
- 14–17 — Accent work — Cares how it sounds, not only the mark.
- Adult — Purpose learning — Picks a language because a life needs it — Lomb’s pattern.
Tests & tasks
- Listen-and-repeat battery — Phonology sample.
- Dynamic new-language lesson — Ten minutes of an unknown tongue — learning speed with hints.
- Translation both ways — Shows analysis, not only tourist phrases.
- Spelling bee only — A thin, often class-gated slice.
Environments
- Dense real input — People, not only apps.
- Low-shame talk — Error is information.
- Print in several scripts — Orthographies are tools.
- A reason to speak — Lomb’s purpose lever.
False positives
- Cram-school English — Exam craft as gift.
- One tourist week — A sample of enthusiasm.
- Native-speaker parent halo — Access, not a mysterious ear.
- App streak — Vocabulary occupancy.
Linguistic talent: a cue is information. A label without a review date is a caste.