New York teen Timothy Doner speaks 23 languages - video

A NEW YORK teenager who has taught himself to speak 23 languages has attracted worldwide attention after posting videos of his talent on YouTube.

Timothy Doner's passion for linguistics "snowballed" after he began learning Hebrew in 2009.

Four years on, the 16-year-old's language skills include Arabic, Indonesian, Russian, German, Mandarin, Turkish and even Wolof, an obscure Gambian dialect. Doner used online forums and flashcard apps on his iPhone to pick up the basics of each new language.

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The New York Times profiled the hyper-polyglot when online clips of Doner demonstrating his skills went viral.

But he told ITN his talent had some downsides. He claimed it had turned him into "a bit of an eavesdropper" and added: "It can also be incredibly awkward. I've listened to people insult me in foreign languages."

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