Johannes Goropius Becanus

16th-century Dutch physician and linguist

Johannes Goropius Becanus (23 June 1519 – 28 June 1572) was a Dutch physician, linguist, and humanist scholar. He is best known for his controversial theories on the origin of language and his attempts to prove that the Dutch language was the original language of humanity.

Early Life and Education

Franciscanerkerk Maastricht

Johannes Goropius Becanus was born in Gorp, a small village near Hilvarenbeek in the Duchy of Brabant, which is now part of the Netherlands. His surname "Becanus" is derived from his birthplace. He studied at the University of Leuven, where he pursued studies in medicine, philosophy, and languages. Becanus was deeply influenced by the Renaissance humanist movement, which emphasized the study of classical texts and the importance of linguistic scholarship.

Career as a Physician

Becanus practiced medicine in Antwerp, where he gained a reputation as a skilled physician. His medical practice was successful, and he served as a personal physician to several prominent figures of his time. Despite his medical career, Becanus is most remembered for his work in linguistics and his speculative theories on language origins.

Linguistic Theories

Johannes Goropius Becanus

Becanus is best known for his theory that the Brabantian dialect of Dutch was the original language spoken in the Garden of Eden. He argued that Dutch was the oldest language and that all other languages were derived from it. This theory was part of a broader attempt to establish the primacy of the Dutch people and culture.

Becanus's ideas were based on etymological analyses that are now considered pseudoscientific. He believed that many Latin and Greek words could be traced back to Dutch roots. For example, he claimed that the Latin word "homo" (man) was derived from the Dutch "hem" (him). His work was met with skepticism and ridicule by his contemporaries, but it also sparked interest and debate in the field of linguistics.

Legacy

Although Becanus's linguistic theories were not accepted by the scholarly community, they contributed to the development of historical linguistics by encouraging further research into the origins and relationships of languages. His work is an example of the speculative nature of early modern linguistic studies and reflects the broader cultural and intellectual currents of the Renaissance.

Related Pages

• History of linguistics
• Dutch language
• Renaissance humanism
• University of Leuven