Harold Whitmore Williams
| Harold Williams | |
|---|---|
Harold Williams in ca 1920s
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| Born |
6 April 1876 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 18 November 1928 (aged 52) London, England |
| Occupation |
linguist journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams |
| Signature | |
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Harold Whitmore Williams (6 April 1876 – 18 November 1928) was a New Zealand journalist, foreign editor of The Times and polyglot who is considered to have been one of the most accomplished polyglots in history. He is said to have known over 58 languages, including English, and Old Irish. He "proved to know every language of the Austrian Empire", Hungarian, Czech, Albanian, Serbian, Rumanian, Swedish, Basque, Turkish, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog, Coptic, Egyptian, Hittite, and other dialects.
Harold Williams was born in Auckland on 6 April 1876, the eldest of seven sons. His parents had emigrated from Cornwall, England, and his father, the Reverend W.J. Williams, was one of the early leaders of the Methodist church in New Zealand, for many years editing the Methodist Times. Williams senior was well-read and gave Harold early instruction in the classics. Like most youngsters his age, Harold was not possessed by a voracious appetite for learning, but he recalled that, when he was about seven, ‘an explosion in his brain’ occurred and from that time his capacity to learn, in particular languages, grew to an extraordinary degree. He began with the study of Latin, one of the great root languages, and hungrily acquired others.
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Wikipedia