Linguistic Genius

Jessica Alba was referred to as a "linguistic genius" in a sarcastic way recently because of her plans to speak Spanish to her baby. Trouble is, she isn't fluent in Spanish.

What do you think of the term "linguistic genius"? What does it mean to you?

A person who has made fundamental and ground-breaking contributions to the field of linguistics requiring a high level of innovation and perspicacity.

Purely techincally speaking, someone who is able to speak, perhaps read and write in, dozens of different languages, and that with ease!

A person with such linguistic ability can be called a linguistic genius, by my standards.

But I don't think a linguistic genius can be highly esteemed nor deserves to be.

'A person who has made fundamental and ground-breaking contributions to the field of linguistics requiring a high level of innovation and perspicacity.'

Although I have never before heard the term perspicacity, I will agree that this is the only definition that I will accept.

The matter is that "genius" is often used in English to refer to someone in a sarcastic way, that is, to state that they are anything but such, especially in the context of them doing something in particular rather than in general and even moreso when they are doing such in a manner in which they might think of themselves as having a good idea or as being "smart". For example, someone trying to steal copper from an electrical power line, only to be electrocuted because it is still live, could be referred to as a "genius" - you get the picture.

Note that that is very commonly stated as "real genius" rather than just "genius" when otherwise unqualified.