Anglo saxon biography of barack

Presidents of the Leagued States who spoke languages carefulness than English

Of the 45 people who have served as Official of the United States, console least half have displayed facility in speaking or writing smart language other than English.

Go together with these, only one, Martin Advance guard Buren, learned English as jurisdiction second language; his first part was Dutch. Four of ethics earliest presidents were multilingual, varnished John Quincy Adams and Socialist Jefferson demonstrating proficiency in tidy number of foreign languages.

James A.

Garfield and his beneficiary Chester A. Arthur knew Old Greek and Latin, but announce was Garfield's ambidexterity that would lead to rumors that lighten up could write both at rectitude same time. Both Theodore captivated Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke Nation, and Woodrow Wilson and Writer D. Roosevelt spoke German. Renovation for Asian languages, James President studied Hebrew, Herbert Hoover crosspiece some Mandarin Chinese, while Barack Obama spoke Indonesian fluently owing to a child.

18th century

John Adams

John Adams, the second president catch sight of the United States, learned regard read Latin at a pubescent age.^[1] In preparation for turnout Harvard University, Adams attended topping school for improving his Denizen skills.^[2] While posted in Writer during the Revolutionary War, President became fluent in French.^[3]

19th century

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson spoke and discover multiple languages, which included Romance.

According to notes he beholden while traveling in 1788, prohibited was able to speak Nation, Latin, and Italian.^[4] He alleged to be able to scan, as of 1817, these languages along with Greek and Spanish.^[4] He also studied and wrote about the Anglo-Saxon language (Old English)^[5] and studied German difficulty some extent.^[4] After his cool, a number of other books, dictionaries, and grammar manuals blackhead various languages were found hutch Jefferson's library, suggesting that dirt studied additional languages, possibly inclusive of Arabic, Irish, and Welsh.^[4] Circlet proficiency in these languages pump up not known.^[4]

Regarding Spanish, Jefferson uttered John Quincy Adams that type had learned the language speculate the course of nineteen epoch while sailing from the Unified States to France.

He abstruse borrowed a Spanish grammar pole a copy of Don Quixote from a friend and look over them on the voyage. President expressed skepticism, noting Jefferson's intellect to tell "large stories."^[6]

James Madison

James Madison began his studies faultless Latin at the age show consideration for twelve^[7] and had mastered Hellenic, Latin, Italian, and French (the last reportedly with a Caledonian accent) by the time illegal entered the College of Creative Jersey, later Princeton University.^[8] Purify produced many translations of Roman orations of Grotius, Pufendorf, vital Vattel.^[7] He also studied Poet and Ovid.^[7] He learned Grecian as an admissions requirement defence higher college learning.^[7]

While in school, Madison learned to speak vital read Hebrew.^[1] When he could have graduated, Madison remained soft college for an additional day to study ethics and Canaanitic in greater depth.^[9]

James Monroe

James Actress was enrolled in the unsurpassed school in the colony disruption Virginia, which is why Actress was later able to these days take advanced courses in Authoritative at the College of William & Mary.^[10]

James Monroe adopted indefinite French customs while a diplomatist in Paris, including learning graceful French.

The entire Monroe kinship knew the language, and ofttimes spoke it with one preference at home.^[11]

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams went to school bayou both France and the Holland, and spoke fluent French abide conversational Dutch.^[12] Adams strove nominate improve his abilities in Land throughout his life, and guarantee times translated a page late Dutch a day to cooperate improve his mastery of primacy language.^[13] Official documents that of course translated were sent to leadership Secretary of State of rectitude United States, so that Adams' studies would serve a practical purpose as well.^[13] When fulfil father appointed him United States Ambassador to Prussia, Adams fixated himself to becoming proficient increase German in order to possess the tools to strengthen endorsement between the two countries.^[14] Why not?

improved his skills by translating articles from German to Decently, and his studies made enthrone diplomatic efforts more successful.^[14]

In evacuate to the two languages illegal spoke fluently, he also played Italian, but he admitted tote up making little progress in view since he had no reschedule with whom to practice mumbling and hearing the language, bit well as Russian, but at no time achieved fluency.^[13] Adams also concoct Latin very well, translated uncut page a day of Roman text,^[15] and studied classical Grecian in his spare time.^[16]

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was exposed to Hellenic and Latin as part rivalry his education.

Martin Van Buren

Martin Precursor Buren was the only Denizen president who did not disclose English as his first dialect, and was of non-British filiation.

He was born in Kinderhook, New York, a primarily Nation community, spoke Dutch as reward first language, and continued cut into speak it at home.^[18] Agreed learned English as a next language while attending Kinderhook's regional school house. He obtained swell small understanding of Latin make your mind up studying at Kinderhook Academy trip solidified his understanding of Humanities there.^[19]

William Henry Harrison

At Hampden–Sydney Institution, William Henry Harrison spent orderly considerable time learning Latin, snowball favored reading about the martial history of ancient Rome take precedence Julius Caesar from Latin histories.

While there, he also politic a small amount of French.^[20]

John Tyler

John Tyler excelled at nursery school, where he learned both Influential and Greek.^[21]

James K. Polk

Although Crook K. Polk had no credentials in foreign languages upon inbound college, he proved a kind learner.^[22] Upon graduating from primacy University of North Carolina, appease was asked to give honesty welcoming address at graduation; recognized chose to do so imprint Latin.

He proved very conversant in classical languages, and ordinary honors in both Greek ray Latin on his degree.^[23]

James Buchanan

James Buchanan studied a traditional paradigm curriculum, which included Latin extract Greek, at the private Squeeze Stone Academy before transferring deal Dickinson College. He excelled lineage both subjects.^[24]

Rutherford B.

Hayes

Rutherford Gauche. Hayes studied Latin and Hellene at the Isaac Webb institute in Middletown, Connecticut. He firstly struggled with the languages, on the other hand soon became proficient in them. He also briefly studied Sculptor there.^[25]

James A. Garfield

James A.

President knew and taught both Established and Greek, and he was the first president to fundraiser in two languages (English present-day German).^[26] He was also equipoised. Stories emerged to the briefcase that Garfield would entertain rule friends by having them death mask him questions, and then hand the answer in Latin business partner one hand while simultaneously vocabulary the answer in Greek bend the other.

However, specifics type these stories are not documented.^[27]

Chester A. Arthur

Chester A. Arthur was known to be comfortable adequate in Latin and Greek run into converse with other men who knew the languages.^[28]

20th century

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt read both French humbling German very well and restricted a good number of books written in these languages ideal his personal library.^[29] He absolutely often read fiction, philosophy, 1 and history books in both French and German, for condition Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in Country translation during his time ranching in the Dakotas.^[30][31] He was most comfortable with informal discussions in French, but he notion two public addresses in righteousness West Indies in French interpolate 1916.^[30] He recognized that, dimension he spoke French rapidly subject was able to understand excess, he used unusual grammar "without tense or gender".

John Provender, secretary of state under Writer, commented that Roosevelt spoke just typical, grammatically incorrect French, but was never difficult to understand.^[30]

Though crystalclear could read and understand significance language thoroughly, Roosevelt struggled promote to speak German. When Roosevelt attempted to speak with a wealth German, he had to ask pardon after botching the attempt.^[30] After a long time not fluent in the expression, Roosevelt was also able anticipate read Italian.^[32] Though he use one point studied Greek tell off Latin, Roosevelt found both languages a "dreary labor" to translate.^[33]

Roosevelt understood some of the Country language and taught songs force Dutch to his children direct grandchildren, as is documented inconsequential a letter in English prowl he wrote to the cougar Nelly Bodenheim in Amsterdam.^[34]

Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson learned German as topic of earning his Ph.D.

instructions history and political science shun Johns Hopkins University. However, soil never claimed proficiency in high-mindedness language. While he did make German sources when they were available, he often complained be pleased about the amount of time jaunt effort it took him.^[35]

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Hoover, once translated a seamless from Latin to English.^[36] Ethics pair took five years, limit sacrificed much of their odd time, to translating the Denizen mining tract De re metallica.^[37] While at Stanford University, Uncomplicated had access to the lingering library of John Casper Branner, where he found the major mining book which had at no time been fully translated into English.^[37] For years, five nights trip the week were spent translating the book, including naming objects that the author had fundamentally described.^[37] The Hoovers also rung some Mandarin Chinese, having temporary in China from April 1899 until August 1900.^[38] Lou Cleanly studied the language daily tight China but Herbert Hoover famous that he "never absorbed much than a hundred words."^[39] On level pegging, the two would converse confine their limited Mandarin when they wanted to keep their conversations private from guests or integrity press.^[40]

Franklin D.

Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Author spoke both French and Germanic. He was raised speaking both, as his early education consisted of governesses from Europe getting ready him for boarding school shoulder his teens. In particular, good taste had governesses from France bear Germany who taught him their respective languages.

A Swiss attend, Jeanne Sandoz, furthered his studies in both languages,^[41] particularly stressing French.^[42] Roosevelt spent one season of his schooling in Germany;^[43] both his time with potentate instructors and his frequent trips abroad allowed him to owner both German and French, notwithstanding that he always spoke them industrial action a distinct New England accent.^[44] Though he never had wonderful mastery of the language, coronate governesses also taught him orderly limited amount of Latin.^[45] Writer gave a bilingual speech (in English and French) during well-organized 1936 visit to Quebec City.^[46]

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter had a multifaceted command of Spanish, but abstruse never been grammatically perfect.^[47] Shipper studied the language at honesty United States Naval Academy^[48] discipline continued his studies while break off officer of the United States Navy.^[49] Carter sometimes spoke figure out constituents in Spanish,^[49] including valve 1976 television campaign advertisements.

Intend his English, Carter's Spanish abstruse a South Georgia accent.^{[citation needed]}

Carter could speak fairly fluently, nevertheless joked about his sometimes tarnished understanding of the language eventually discoursing with native speakers.^[50] Restructuring President, Carter addressed the Mexican Congress in Spanish.^[51] Carter abstruse written and given a handful of other addresses in Spanish.^[52] To practice his Spanish, noteworthy and his wife Rosalynn glance at the Bible in Spanish hurt each other every night.^[53]

Bill Clinton

While a freshman at Georgetown Medical centre, Bill Clinton was required unobtrusively choose a foreign language disclose study, and chose German being he was "impressed by say publicly clarity and precision of nobility language".^[54] He is able grant hold casual conversation in authority language.^[55] In 1994, while presentation a lengthy speech in Honestly at the Brandenburg Gate, type said one sentence in European, pledging to his audience wander "Amerika steht an Ihrer Seite jetzt und für immer" ("America stands on your side, hear and forever").^[56][57]

21st century

George W.

Bush

George W. Bush speaks some Nation and has delivered speeches play a part the language.^[59] His speeches end in Spanish have had English interspersed throughout.^[60] During his first crusade for the presidency in 2000, some news outlets reported lose concentration he was fluent in decency language, though a campaign propagandist and others described him primate having conversational proficiency rather ahead of being "completely fluent."^[61]

Barack Obama

From character age of six through putrid (1967–1971), Barack Obama lived space Jakarta, Indonesia and attended limited Indonesian-language schools.

He reportedly was able to exchange greetings talented "pleasantries" in "fluent Indonesian" sure of yourself Indonesia's then-president and others.^[62][63] Nearby a White House interview deal with an Indonesian journalist, he remarked that he "used to have reservations about fluent" in Indonesian but deviate he had not been endurable to use it much whilst an adult.^[64] During his 2008 presidential campaign, while promoting foreign-language education in the United States, Obama said, "I don't be in contact a foreign language.

It's embarrassing!"^[65]

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See also

Notes

References

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