Foreign Languages Quotes
Cleopatra was not just a woman ruling between male dynasties, but a brilliant and able politician, tactician, and military leader. She was descended from Alexander the Great’s Macedonian General Ptolomy who inherited Egypt upon Alexander’s death. By all accounts she was an amazing leader irrespective of gender. But she also used her sexuality very powerfully. Her language skill was remarkable; she was actually the first of the line of Ptolemy rulers of Egypt who actually spoke and read Egyptian. Of course she was also fluent in Greek and Latin as well as all the “Barbarian” languages.
This was another of the radical reforms of Queen Victoria. Most counties were terribly sensitive about the language used by their citizens. Where there were different ethnic language groups, the dominant group tended to make the use and teaching of other languages illegal. So it was in Great Britain where Gaelic, traditionally spoken in Scotland and Welsh, spoken in Wales, were discouraged and not taught in the schools. The Queen shocked the right wing language nationalists with this letter making a major language and cultural reform in Great Britain. Victoria herself had learned a number of languages when she was a young girl and realized that the schools were the ideal place to develop multiple language facilities. Lansdowne promptly instituted the queen’s desired language reforms to the delight of the Scots and the Welsh. Rather than create disunity, the Scots and Welsh became more loyal to the Nation that recognized them, their culture and their rights.
He was one of the few ambassadors to China who was fluent in Chinese.
Jefferson had what was probably the largest library in America and as usual was in need of money. He offered to sell the library to Congress and this purchase was the beginning of the Library of Congress—now the greatest library of the world. Congress purchased 6,487 volumes for $23,950. There were a few members of the House who objected to the purchase. The first government financed library was also the first attempt at censorship. Voltaire was too liberal for the minority and Callendar was a Jefferson partisan. The “otherwise objectionable” referred to books where religion was questioned and sexual mores discussed—not terribly different from modern reasons for attempted censorship. The minority objections were noted and the overwhelming majority voted to begin the Library of Congress.
