‘Christopher Columbus writings prove he was Spanish’
October 15th, 2009 - 1:34 pm ICT by ANI ( Leave a comment )London, October 15 (ANI): The mystery over Christopher Columbus’s true origins appears to be finally solved after a thorough investigation of his writings allegedly prove he hailed from Spain.
Much research has been put into determining the true nationality of the explorer credited with finding the Americas.
Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Catalonia, Corsica, Poland and even Scotland have all previously laid their claim on the Great Navigator as their own since his death in 1506, reports the Telegraph.
But a study of the language used in Columbus’ official records and letters allegedly establish that he came from the Kingdom of Aragon and his mother tongue was Catalan.
Estelle Irizarry, a linguistic professor at Georgetown University in Washington, published the findings in a new book “The DNA of the writings of Columbus”.
The professor said: “He didn’t express him correctly in any written language. His Spanish was notoriously incorrect yet at the same time efficient, poetic and eloquent.”
But the claim may have a hard time in finding a place for itself amongst many other existing theories, including one that Columbus may have adopted his surname later in life to disguise his true origins.
When quizzed about his origins, Columbus himself used to say: “Vine de nada” - “I came from nothing”. (ANI)
- Columbus was a Catalan-speaking Jew, says US scholar - Oct 16, 2009
- Making Africa smile and busting stereotypes - Jan 23, 2012
- Infants raised in bilingual households can distinguish unfamiliar languages - Feb 19, 2011
- Where exactly did Columbus set sail from? - Apr 06, 2010
- Portugal refused to back Columbus for his West voyages - Oct 12, 2009
- Spanish media full of praise for Del Bosque's heroes - Jul 08, 2010
- End of an era for bull-fighting in Spain's Catalonia - Sep 26, 2011
- Christopher Columbus was Polish, not Portuguese: Historian - Nov 30, 2010
- Smith, Jones, Patel, Singh: Survey of British surnames launched - Jan 03, 2010
- Charlotte Bronte's love letters to Belgian professor found - Jan 27, 2012
- Spotlight turns on Indian language writing (With Image) - Dec 17, 2011
- Christopher Columbus' historical voyage led to America's discovery - Oct 13, 2009
- Language use can go on a roller-coaster ride during childhood - Feb 25, 2011
- Dalai Lama supports ban on bullfighting in Spain - Feb 19, 2010
- Babies can count from 18 months of age: Study - Feb 17, 2011
Tags: aragon, catalonia, christopher columbus, corsica, dna, estelle, georgetown university, hard time, italy france, mother tongue, mystery, nationality, poland, quizzed, spanish london, surname, telegraph, true origins, vine, written language