​​Icelandic, Polish, Swedish, French, Spanish, Russian, English, Mandinka, Afrikaans and Xhosa.  A mouthful of languages understood and spoken by Stellenbosch University (SU) researcher Dr Alex Andrason.

With two doctorates under his belt, one focussing on African languages and the other on Semitic languages, learning a new language comes easy to the Icelandic-born scholar.

Andrason, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of African Languages, says languages fascinate him. "I love it so much. Where people take books to read while on holiday, I tackle the grammar of a new language. When I travel to a country, three to five months is enough to learn a new language."

Learning Xhosa has been a bit of a challenge. 

"I think this is the most difficult language I've encountered this far, but therefore I love it so much because it's so challenging. It's an extremely complex language, much more complex than any European language."

Andrason who picked up Mandinka while living in Gambia says there is a popular, but incorrect perception that African languages are primitive, underdeveloped and poor. "The brains of speakers of African languages must be differently wired because of the all languages they speak. These languages are so complicated. It's fascinating."

Andrason' love for new languages comes from travelling the world and studying and living in many countries.

He did his first PhD on Semitic Languages; Arabic, Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian in Spain. South America and Australia are the only two continents Andrason has not travelled to yet.

Coming to South Africa in 2010 he enrolled at SU for a semester course in Afrikaans. This was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Ancient Studies a few years later. In January this year he started a second postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of African Languages.

Andrason has been widely published. In the first three months of 2016 he has already published in 10 accredited journals. He attributed this to the "positive academic environment" at SU.

The same goes for South Africa which he considers his second home.

"I never think of myself as an immigrant if I am in South Africa. I miss much more when I am in Europe than when I am in South Africa. Two years ago I went to Europe for three months to do research and I miss South Africa so much, I was counting the days to go back home, to Stellenbosch."

• Postdoctoral fellows are emerging scholars who have just completed their PhD. They make a substantial contribution towards SU's research output. SU currently has 252 postdoctoral fellows, of which 116 are international. They work closely with colleagues in the Division for Research Development and the Postgraduate & International Office.