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Welcome Letter
Dear Internet User and Guest,
Professional linguists, scientists and curious people worldwide have always questioned as to what extent the human brain can learn and retain new languages. Most speculated it was impossible to be fluent in more than a few languages at one time. However, one man was about to redefine the meaning of fluency. Giuseppe Mezzofanti, born in 1774, was twice gifted with the gifts of a prodigious memory and a tremendous ambition to learn foreign languages. Eventually he would become a priest, Vatican librarian, and cardinal. It has been recorded that during his lifetime, Cardinal Mezzofanti was fluent in more than 50 languages, was able to understand a further 20, and translate into an extra 114 - smashing the worldwide record for language fluency.
In the spirit of this linguistic ambition, we introduce Mezzofanti.org - an all-in-one online linguistic resource! For each featured language we present a general history and landmark events in the making of that particular language, a short linguistic analysis summarizing special linguistic characteristics, and editor-selected links that redirect the user to the finest language-specific content on the web. Each link is individually reviewed, and sorted according to category (i.e., language learning, cultural links, dictionaries/reference, newspapers, etc...) to tell you what to expect before entering each site. Around our site, you will also find various articles, covering numerous categories from information on artificial languages to some useful language-learning tips.
In a world of thousands of languages and dialects, international communications can become quite difficult. Yet, the need for such worldwide exchange in business transactions, intercontinental collaboration and personal correspondence becomes greater all the time. For this reason we provide online and desktop translations between dozens of languages, at no cost! We also hope in the near future to develop a version of our site accessible on mobile devices for instant access to foreign phrases and dictionary lookup anywhere in the world! And to bring you the most current and relevant linguistic material online, we constantly go "on-location" to spots across the world to conduct first-hand research on the uses and applications of human language in the modern world.
We also supply visitors with several special language-oriented services. To aid in the language learning process, we offer special language games that are both fun and educational. For the special touch in many languages, we provide multilingual e-cards sent instantly worldwide over e-mail. Since more seems to go wrong than right on the Internet, we supply our users with an extensive help page. And since we are based on user input, we provide an online response form and guestbook where we can hear your comments and suggestions.
Whether you are tying to learn a language, brush-up on your linguistic skills, or would simply like to discover another culture - Mezzofanti.org provides you with the best linguistic and educational material on the Internet. I sincerely hope you enjoy your visit to our site, and would like to wish you the best on your linguistic endeavors.
Sincerely,
Andrew V. Liaugminas
Chief Administrator of Mezzofanti.org