Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti

Giuseppe Gasparo Mezzofanti (* September 17, 1774 in Bologna, † March 17, 1849 in Naples) was an Italian cardinal. He is considered one of the greatest linguists and to 57 languages ​​understood, have spoken 38. Mezzofanti has since become the name of a polyglot people.

Ecclesiastical career

The Catholic clergy Mezzofanti was professor of Arabic language in Bologna and in 1833 curator of the Vatican library. In 1838 he was titular bishop of the Church of Sant 'Onofrio al Gianicolo in Rome by Pope Gregory XVI. appointed cardinal.

Mezzofanti was buried in Sant 'Onofrio.

Linguistic proficiency

After Ch Russell Mezzofanti to 38 languages ​​have dominated and is considered as the record holder of multilingualism. He spoke shown that the following 29 languages ​​in addition to his Italian mother tongue: Latin, Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Amharic, Coptic, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, Maltese, Illyrian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Albanian and Chinese.

Similar skills possessed (or have ) and the German sinologist Emil Krebs, the British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton, Lorenzo Hervás y Panduro Spanish Jesuit, Secretary of State Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val and the Belgian orientalist Johan Vandewalle.