Citizens of the World: The Multilingual Child and Adult: Dr. Edwin Gerard at TEDxCulverCity

Dr. Gerard was born in Los Angeles into a four-generation household who spoke several languages daily. His parents spoke five each, his grandparents and great-grandmother spoke six. By the time he was five, he was fluent in English, and his Roman grandmother insisted that, in addition to French and Armenian, he should also learn Italian. Along the way he informally picked up Spanish as well. Once in High School, he naturally chose the one language no one else in his family could speak: German; that way he would have his own "secret" language. At UCLA, he majored in French. He received an MA in French Literature from UC Berkeley, and went on to Paris to earn a doctorate at the Sorbonne. His languages have allowed him to live and teach in many countries, including the US, France, Italy, India, and Tunisia. In his Talk, Dr. Gerard uses language to expose the idiosyncrasies of cultures from around the world, helping us understand how multilingualism can build a bridge of understanding between our cultures. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)