Joby, Christopher (Christopher)

The multilingualism of Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687)

Chapter 1: 'Multilingualism: An Introduction'[-]Chapter 2: 'Huygens' Language Acquisition'[-]Chapter 3: 'The "multidimensionality" of Huygens' Multilingualism'[-]Chapter 4: 'Huygens' multilingualism in music, science and architecture'[-]Chapter 5: 'Huygens and Translation'[-]Chapter 6: 'Code Switching in Huygens' work'[-]Chapter 7: 'The multilingualism of Huygens' children'[-]Epilogue[-][-]Chapter 1: 'Multilingualism: An Introduction' considers what multilingualism means when it is applied to an individual such as Huygens and then examines what I call the 'multilingual landscape' of the United Provinces in the early modern period. By this I mean what factors contributed to multilingualism in the United Provinces at this time, which languages were used, in which social domains or communities these languages were written and spoken, and how their fortunes changed during the course of the early modern period. This will provide the necessary background for the rest of this study. [-]Chapter 2: 'Huygens' Language Acquisition' begins by discussing why Huygens learnt the eight languages that formed the core of his multilingualism and then considers in chronological order how he learnt and developed his knowledge of each language in his early years. In truth, his choice of languages is not in itself remarkable, and to a certain extent pre-determined as he was destined for a career in administration for the House of Orange. Rather it is the variety of ways in which Huygens applied his knowledge of these languages that is striking and demands our attention.[-]Chapter 3: 'The "multidimensionality" of Huygens' Multilingualism' picks up this theme and looks in detail at what makes Huygens' multilingualism distinctive. After providing an account of how he used each of his core languages in his poetry and correspondence, I consider other languages with which he engaged, his use of Dutch dialects often for comic effect, his coinage of neologisms in a number of languages, evidence for his spoken use of languages and the multilingualism of his vast library. What becomes apparent is how his use of language was shaped by his great learning, his sense of humour and by his manifold interests beyond the relatively narrow confines of serving the House of Orange.[-]Chapter 4: 'Huygens' multilingualism in music, science and architecture' examines how Huygens used his linguistic knowledge in these three areas of extra-curricular activity. It was above all his knowledge of vernacular languages, notably French, Italian and English, which allowed him to read and write about each of these subjects and to establish networks for the exchange of ideas and information about them. Furthermore, his linguistic knowledge allowed him to open doors both for himself and others, which might otherwise have remained closed. [-]Chapter 5: 'Huygens and Translation' discusses what Huygens himself had to say on the subject of translation, how he developed as a translator and what material he translated into which language. He translated primarily into Dutch, most notably nineteen poems by John Donne in the early 1630s. However, he also translated into other languages, in particular Latin and French, once more demonstrating his great versatility and dexterity as a linguist. One distinctive feature of Huygens' translation is the extent to which he produced translations of his own poetry or 'self-translated'. In two cases he produced poems in his eight core languages on the same theme. Here, the question arises as to whether he was translating or code switching. [-]Chapter 6: 'Code Switching in Huygens' work' picks up from the end of Chapter 5 and considers why Huygens practised code switching. Two principal influences seem to be at work in this regard; one is the notion of imitati