Thomas Jefferson read a number of different languages...

>Thomas Jefferson read a number of different languages. In a letter to Philadelphia publisher Joseph Delaplaine on April 12, 1817, Jefferson claimed to read and write six languages: Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, and English. After his death, a number of other books, dictionaries, and grammar manuals in various languages were found in Jefferson’s library, suggesting that he studied additional languages beyond those he spoke and wrote well. Among these were books in Arabic, Gaelic, and Welsh.
>John Quincy Adams went to school in both France and the Netherlands, and spoke fluent French and conversational Dutch. Adams strove to improve his abilities in Dutch throughout his life, and at times translated a page of Dutch a day to help improve his mastery of the language. Official documents that he translated were sent to the Secretary of State of the United States, so that Adams’ studies would serve a useful purpose as well. When his father appointed him United States Ambassador to Prussia, Adams dedicated himself to becoming proficient in German in order to give him the tools to strengthen relations between the two countries. He improved his skills by translating articles from German to English, and his studies made his diplomatic efforts more successful. In addition to the two languages he spoke fluently, he also studied Italian, though he admitted to making little progress in it since he had no one with whom to practice speaking and hearing the language. Adams also read Latin very well, translated a page a day of Latin text, and studied classical Greek in his spare time.
>George W. Bush speaks some amount of Spanish, and has delivered speeches in the language. His speeches in Spanish have been imperfect, with English dispersed throughout. Some pundits, like Molly Ivins, have pointedly questioned the extent to which he could speak the language, noting that he kept to similar phrasing in numerous appearances.
>Barack Obama himself claims to speak no foreign languages. However, according to the President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during a telephone conversation Obama was able to deliver a basic four-word question in “fluent Indonesian”, as well as mention the names for a few Indonesian food items. He also knows some Spanish, but admits to only knowing “15 words” and having a poor knowledge of the language.
Is this one of those things that "really makes you think"? How many languages do you speak? Would you consider yourself "educated" by 19th century standards?

...

it's obvious that we live in bad times

Obama isn't even educated by 21st century standards bruh. He was a self-admittedly terrible student who got into prestigious universities as an affirmative action AND legacy applicant. Most psychometricians put his estimated IQ around 110, which is about 30 points below Trump.

>basic four-word question in “fluent Indonesian”
Top lul

I think it's fair to say that Obama had it easier than any other American president in history.

Damn...

Why would the title be printed on both sides

Lingosteve knows like 15 languages, and Lingosteve is a fucking idiot.

yes

>implying the ascendancy of English is a bad thing
>implying it's a bad thing that people don't need to spend more time memorizing vocabulary and arbitrary grammatical rules instead of reading, working, creating
>implying that being able to communicate with a huge amount of the civilized and academic world with a single language is bad

this thread is so fucking pseudointellectual, it's clear that the posters itt are fetishizing a mental image of what the "educated man" is like instead of actually spending their time focused on doing things of value

Shut the fuck up.

triggered?

You bit, sir.

my hero

t. Utilitariancuck

I speak Portuguese, English and French. Starting today on my Spanish. After I'm done with Spanish I want to start a different language, maybe an oriental one. When I learn 5 languages I will feel satisfied.

>translates from german to english

Is this actually a good way to learn german? What are some quintissential German novels I can do this with?

Mein Vorfahren komme aus von Deutschland, aber Ich sprache kein Deutsch.

Because its a Pynchon book so nothing makes ANY sense

Look, I'm not even a utilitarian, and I think there's aesthetic, cultural, and intellectual value to learning multiple languages, but that doesn't stop this thread from being a hive of pseudointellectual masturbation.

>Speaks 5 languages

its pretty cool all the free time you get for reading, learning languages, designing your mansion, creating new philosophy, when you own a slave plantation.

*puts in pair of fake teeth and sneaks towards you*

...

anything else and you would never hear the end of the bitching. try even slightly criticizing that coon on any campus in the country and an army of lesbian muslim trannies will be all over ou in secons

What if Melania's been a genius all this time?

What if she's the puppet master, and Trump's the puppet? What if her dumb Eastern European behavior has all been a facade?