Thomas Jefferson was a polymath. He read a number of different languages. In a letter to Philadelphia publisher Joseph Delaplaine on April 12, 1817, Jefferson claimed to read and write six languages: Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, and English.[4] After his death, a number of other books, dictionaries, and grammar manuals in various languages were found in Jeffersons library, suggesting that he studied additional languages beyond those he spoke and wrote well. Among these were books in Arabic, Gaelic, and Welsh.[4] In regard to learning Spanish, Jefferson told John Quincy Adams that he had learned the language over the course of nineteen days while sailing from the United States to France. He had borrowed a Spanish grammar and a copy of Don Quixote from a friend, and read them on the voyage. Adams expressed skepticism, noting Jeffersons tendency to tell large stories..
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:10:01 +0000
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