# Presidential multilingualism **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662 "2004-02-28T20:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/1 "2004-02-28T20:55:09Z")
Anyone have information on which Presidents spoke languages other than English? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/2 "2004-02-28T21:05:35Z")
Multilingualism used to be much more common among the upper class. It died off along with a classical education. President James Garfield was multilingual and ambidextrous. As a party trick he would write simultaneously in classical Latin and Greek. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/3 "2004-02-28T21:10:40Z")
Thomas Jefferson spoke 6 languages. [cite](http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/timeline/pres_era/3_664.html) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/4 "2004-02-28T21:13:41Z")
Jefferson was the original multilingual president. He knew French, Italian, Latin, Greek, and Anglo-Saxon. When Jimmy Carter was elected, it was revealed that he read the Bible every night in Spanish. I’ve never heard him actually speaking Spanish. Could he speak it, if he chose to? Maybe he could get out a few halting sentence fragments if all he ever did was read, without practicing the spoken language. I myself can read Spanish with comprehension, but speak it very brokenly, very poorly. Reading comprehension and speaking ability are two totally different linguistic skills. While Jefferson could read Anglo-Saxon, I doubt he could have spoken it, apart from maybe reeling off some memorized lines from _Beowulf_. There was no one else around he could speak it with. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/5 "2004-02-28T21:14:56Z")
Sure, Rex, don’t bother typing, just link. By the time I’ve typed up a thoughtful disquisition, you’re first in the gate. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/6 "2004-02-28T21:20:25Z")
This article claims that Bush, able to speak a bit of colloquial Spanish, is the first since Herbert Hoover: [http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2001/vol5n09/Bush2ndLang-en.shtml](http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2001/vol5n09/Bush2ndLang-en.shtml) As already observed, in the 19th century, the “classically” educated would be able to understand some Latin or Greek. They probably also learned to derive square roots by a method that looked like long hand division, and may have learned to do cube roots by hand, as well. And were forced to spend hours perfecting handwriting technique. I’m sure many presidents in recent times have completed language requirements for degrees, but that does not confer fluency if they have no cause to use it. Garfield and Jefferson would be the standouts, but I’ll bet that many of the 19th century presidents, particularly the founding fathers, could manage to get along in a couple of languages. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/7 "2004-02-28T21:53:33Z")
Note the divergence between the OP wording and the answers. “which Presidents **spoke** languages other than English?” Garfield “would **write** simultaneously in classical Latin and Greek.” This is a pet peeve of linguists like me. All the non-linguists always ask us about how many languages we “speak.” Frankly, I know… and use in my work… at least a dozen languages, but I can speak only one (French) with anything like fluency, and I can speak half a dozen others with varying degrees of brokenness. Some I can read but can’t speak worth a damn. I just haven’t concentrated on speaking ability. I spend all my effort on reading and writing other languages. I’m often told I have great pronunciation when I do speak. That’s because I study the science of phonetics and practice all different phonetic sounds when no one’s around. But that again is a totally different skill from being able to hold a conversation. Most linguists do not focus on learning to “speak” different languages, they study how languages work. I’m a manic language collector, but I’m drastically shy when it comes to speaking to people face to face. So I spend a lot of time alone with books, and develop great reading and writing skills, to the detriment of my conversational ability. Could Garfield have held a conversation in classical Greek? What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/8 "2004-02-28T22:54:50Z")
I read the Eisenhower could speak some French, which probably came in handy when working with General De Gaulle and the Free French during World War II. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/9 "2004-02-29T04:30:10Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > They probably also learned to derive square roots by a method that looked like long hand division, and may have learned to do cube roots by hand, as well. I had to learn how to derive square roots by hand with this method when I was in 8th grade, which was in 1976. Don’t ask me how to do it now; I forgot how years ago. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/10 "2004-02-29T15:43:47Z")
By way of comparison, I recently read that Queen Elizabeth I spoke eight languages fluently: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Latin, and Welsh. I also remember reading a history of the Munich conference which said that Mussolini spoke English, French, and German, and was therefore the only head of state present who could talk directly to all the others. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/11 "2004-02-29T18:11:17Z")
> [@Jomo Mojo](#): > > When Jimmy Carter was elected, it was revealed that he read the Bible every night in Spanish. I’ve never heard him actually speaking Spanish. Could he speak it, if he chose to? There was [this speech.](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/cuba020514.html) I also seem to recall (although I can’t find a cite) that during Carter’s presidency, he gave a speech in Spanish before the legislature of a Latin American nation (I think Venezuela). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/12 "2004-02-29T20:50:57Z")
John Adams managed to learn to speak French, but far from perfectly. According to David McCullough’s biography, he spoke better French than Franklin or Jefferson, which surprised me. John Quincy Adams spoke better French than his father. He held a number of diplomatic positions (Minister to Prussia, Russia, Portugal, and Holland), but I don’t know if he learned any of the languages. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/13 "2004-02-29T20:56:46Z")
Like English is today, French was the language spoken by most diplomats in the past. If you were a diplomat prior to WWII, French would be all that you would need. Haj ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/14 "2004-02-29T21:35:27Z")
I remember JFK speaking German-sort of. Back in 1963 on a visit to West Gemany he concluded his speech with the famous words " Ich bin ein Berliner" It brought the house down. I don’t think he meant to say “I am a jelly donut” but it was close enough for the Berlinners to understand what he did mean. 🙂 V ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/15 "2004-02-29T21:42:35Z")
JFK knew no German. He just memorized that phrase for dramatic effect. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/16 "2004-02-29T22:03:53Z")
Carter DOES speak Spanish adequately. G-W can communicate in basic-business situations, but nobody I know would dream of calling him fluent. More like an “A for Effort” kind of situation. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/17 "2004-02-29T22:18:56Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > John Adams managed to learn to speak French, but far from perfectly. According to David McCullough’s biography, he spoke better French than Franklin or Jefferson, which surprised me. I recall from one of my trips to Monticello that while Jefferson could read and write in several languages quite well, his speaking abilities – at least in French – was pretty poor, because he learned them from reading books, rather than from tutors. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/18 "2004-02-29T23:06:34Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > JFK knew no German. He just memorized that phrase for dramatic effect. I did know that **Mr. Moto** :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/19 "2004-02-29T23:31:43Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I had to learn how to derive square roots by hand with this method when I was in 8th grade, which was in 1976. > > Don’t ask me how to do it now; I forgot how years ago. > > Ed It’s not that hard. [http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.sqrt.by.hand.html](http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.sqrt.by.hand.html) The first method is the “guess, divide, average” method. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662/20 "2004-02-29T23:34:15Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I had to learn how to derive square roots by hand with this method when I was in 8th grade, which was in 1976. > > Don’t ask me how to do it now; I forgot how years ago. > > Ed I learned it too at roughly the same time and also forgot it. Thinking about it now I could probably figure it out again if I had too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-multilingualism/231662.md?page=2)