Isaac Newton’s native language was English. He was born in England in 1642, and while the English of his day would have been markedly different from the English we speak today, they are both the same language by all definitions. Being an immensely learned man, … Read more
Richard the Lionheart would have spoken his native French, which we today would broadly categorize as Old French. He would also have spoken Occitan, or Old Occitan, also known as Old Provençal, spoken in various regions throughout France. Being King, he would also have been … Read more
Genghis Khan spoke Mongolian, specifically the Middle Mongol form of the language which was spoken during the time he was alive. There is very little surviving written evidence of this language and a lot of what we know comes from Chinese sources. However, Middle Mongol … Read more
Joan of Arc would have spoken Middle French. There would have been dialects of French and a standard form, and it’s likely she knew both well. She would, then, have spoken the French dialect of her native Domrémy, possibly a Champenois or Lorrain dialect. The … Read more
Jewish tradition holds that Adam spoke what is called the Adamic language, and Eve most likely did, too. This could either be the language with which God spoke to Adam, or it could be the language which Adam used to name all things. This was … Read more
Socrates would have spoken ancient Greek, specifically the Attic dialect that all Athenians spoke. Though we only know about Socrates through the accounts of his students and other Athenians, assuming he did exist we can say for certain he spoke ancient Greek given the place … Read more
Harriet Tubman spoke English, as she was born into a slave family in America. She would have spoken English as a slave and when she later escaped. Slaves in America at this time were naturally taught English, and this would have been the language she … Read more
We cannot say for certain, but he likely knew a couple of languages. His native language was most likely some antecedent of Hebrew, but he seems also to have known Aramaic. He could also have spoken Sumerian, Akkadian, or Elamite as his native language. The … Read more