19. Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti spoke as many as 30 languages, and many argue the Italian Cardinal was the ultimate polyglot
To linguists, Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti is probably the ultimate polyglot. The Italian man of God was reportedly fluent in as many as 40 languages, plus he had a good working knowledge of an additional 30. His sharp brain and keen ambition to better himself meant that Mezzofanti not only excelled at languages but also rose up to the very top of the Catholic Church, becoming a Cardinal, one step away from Pope.
Mezzofanti was born in Bologna in 1774. His father was a struggling carpenter and his son was expected to follow him into the trade. The legend goes that, as a young boy, Mezzofanti would practice carving wood on the street, right outside a private school. He could hear the teacher give lessons in Latin and Greek and the young boy picked both languages up. Before long, that teacher found out about the remarkable youth outside the school walls and invited him to join the class. Mezzofanti’s parents, far from being dismayed their son wouldn’t have a trade, encouraged him to gain a full education.
After a few years, Mezzofanti moved schools. He went to a Catholic private school where he came into contact with missionaries from different countries. Through speaking with them, he learned Spanish, German and Swedish. He then added several more languages to his growing repertoire while studying for the priesthood. By the time he was ordained, he knew several Asian tongues, plus his later work as an ambassador placed him in contact with other European nationals, allowing him to learn even more. At the turn of the century, Mezzofanti was working as a librarian in Bologna. He then served as Professor of Oriental Languages and Greek at the city’s prestigious university, a position he would hold for more than 15 years until the Pope called him to the Vatican.
He was made Cardinal and the Vatican’s chief librarian, both jobs in which his language skills were a huge asset. He lived happily at the Vatican right up until his death at the age of 74 in 1849. So, how many languages did Mezzofanti really speak? His biographer Charles William Russell noted that he spoke 30 languages “with rare excellence”, including Biblical Hebrew, Armenian, Maltese, Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese. Moreover, he had a basic knowledge of dozens more and kept on trying to learn and practice well into his old age.