Reviews
The Cradle of Words is a delight for word lovers. Tracking etymology's role in imperial governance and scientific research, López Fadul deftly shows how early modern scholars in Spain and the Americas mined a remarkably polylingual archive of terms and phrases. They did so to reconstruct histories of ancient migrations, pursue pharmaceutical innovation, convert new subjects to Christianity, and—not least—document Spain's growing empire.
This book is a masterclass on how words—whether in Nahuatl, Quechua, Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, or Castilian—were understood to be repositories of ancient historical and natural knowledge and thus an integral part of getting to know the New World and rediscovering the history of the Old. López Fadul insightfully mines a range of sources to show how etymologies, lexicons, and toponyms were thought keys to lost knowledge essential to the governance of imperial Spain during the 16th century.
This captivating work explores how early modern Spanish scholars attempted to uncover hidden truths about God, human nature, the soul of the Empire, and the New World's societies and life through comparative linguistics. An intricate, elegant, superbly written reflection on scholarship in a tumultuous and transformative era, López Fadul's book is a must-read.
Book Details
List of Images
Notes on Transcriptions and Translations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The World in the Library
2. The Search for Spain's Most Ancient Language
3. Language and the Ancient History of the
List of Images
Notes on Transcriptions and Translations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The World in the Library
2. The Search for Spain's Most Ancient Language
3. Language and the Ancient History of the Americas
4. Language and the Secrets of Nature
5. The Rudiments of All Languages
Epilogue
List of Abbreviations
Bibliography
Notes
Index