President Hoover and the First Lady spoke in Mandarin

United States
October 10, 2019 6:25pm CST
Sometimes you just want a bit of privacy and in America's top high profile job, that's just not easy to come by. Lou Henry Hoover devised the best way of having private conversations with her Husband the President while under the scrutiny of advisors and the like. She simply spoke Mandarin, a language she and her husband both knew because of their previous residence in China. She also well versed in Latin and helped her husband translate a 16th century Encyclopedia of mining. Source : Wikipedia - Lou Henry Hoover
7 people like this
7 responses
@Deepizzaguy (93615)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
11 Oct 19
I did not know that former President Hoover and his wife knew hot to speak Mandarin.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Oct 19
They stayed in China for a few years between 1899-1901.
1 person likes this
• United States
12 Oct 19
@Deepizzaguy I don't really recall it being in mine either.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (93615)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
12 Oct 19
@ScribbledAdNauseum I did not know that since it was not in the history books that I read in school.
1 person likes this
@Happy2BeMe (99426)
• Canada
11 Oct 19
That is very interesting. A good way to keep conversations private.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Oct 19
Extremely! There may be more people in America that know Mandarin now but at that time I am sure there were very few who even knew what language they spoke.
1 person likes this
@Happy2BeMe (99426)
• Canada
12 Oct 19
@ScribbledAdNauseum that is cool.
1 person likes this
@choijungeun (2508)
• Hangzhou, China
11 Oct 19
Hoover,is that loser who took the power in 1929?we learned about the America History,it said his reform is totally a catastrophe that almost ruined USA,people lost their jobs,the economy collapsed,everything is just in the hell I never know Hoover's wife would speak Mandarin,it's not a easy language to learn.Even for me,who have written the Chinese poems for 14 years,i still can't say that i am proficient in Mandarin. Especially the Ancient literature and poem,even for the Native speaker,it's also very difficult and hard to understand
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Oct 19
I don't actually remember my history when it comes to Herbert Hoover as it's been years since I've been in school. Yes, I've learned that there are very many words that are similar and require just a change in the way you say them to mean something totally different. I am not sure if she was ever taught to write in Chinese but I imagine she may have been.
@LadyDuck (454850)
• Switzerland
11 Oct 19
It is always interesting to speak a language that the others cannot understand.
• United States
11 Oct 19
Especially one as difficult to learn as an Asian language.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Oct 19
@LadyDuck Yes, it has to be a hands on language, one that you hear every day. I've watched several youtubers who have expressed that it was the easiest way they learned it.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (454850)
• Switzerland
11 Oct 19
@ScribbledAdNauseum I think that Asian languages are too difficult to learn if you do not live there.
@Alexandoy (65350)
• Cainta, Philippines
10 Oct 19
Mandarin is a very difficult language to learn because the intonation and accent greatly matters in the meaning.
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Oct 19
Yes, I've heard that you can say a completely different word just by altering the inflection. She and her husband lived in China in the late 1800's, she would have had to learn with private lessons or juts by going around the streets of the city.
2 people like this
@Alexandoy (65350)
• Cainta, Philippines
10 Oct 19
The only Chinese words I know are Nihaw-ma and Sheesheh.
1 person likes this
@franxav (13583)
• India
11 Oct 19
It's to good way to keep your secrets to yourself.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Oct 19
Sometimes the best way to keep them is to not speak them at all.
@jstory07 (133739)
• Roseburg, Oregon
11 Oct 19
Talking in Mandarin to each other was a good way to have privacy.
• United States
11 Oct 19
Especially back then when I am sure not many knew Mandarin.