Truth in Many Tongues

Truth in Many Tongues, Volume 1, is a scholarly history and linguistics study exploring how the Spanish monarchy managed an empire of immense linguistic diversity. Author Daniel I. Wasserman-Soler examines sixteenth century policies within the Iberian Peninsula and the New World to challenge the idea that the spread of the Spanish language was a result of deliberate colonization. Through an analysis of inquisition reports and royal correspondence, the text reveals that Church and Crown officials lacked a unified language policy.

This work of non-fiction focuses on the practical mentality of early modern Catholicism and Christian-Muslim relations. By researching archives across Europe and the Americas, the author demonstrates how officials navigated Arabic and Amerindian languages to expand the Catholic Church. Truth in Many Tongues provides a detailed academic perspective on the intersection of religion, language arts, and colonial administration in early modern Spain and Latin America.