When or in what writing did Charlemagne say, "To have another language is to possess a second soul."?

Question

I can't find where or when he was quoted as saying this famous quote anywhere! Thanks!

Answer 1

You are right. Although the quote is famous and used often. None of the sources give a date. Perhaps that is because scholars can't even decide on his date of birth. Education was very important to him and many languages were spoken in his kingdom, perhaps the quote can as encouragement for his subjects to learned and be able to communicate better. Below is an excerpt from a biography I read.

"Though never able to master reading and writing himself, Charlemagne was an enthusiastic patron of learning. He attracted noted scholars to his court, including Alcuin, who became his private tutor, and Einhard, who would be his biographer.

Charlemagne reformed the palace school and set up monastic schools throughout the empire. The monasteries he sponsored preserved and copied ancient books. The flowering of learning under Charlemagne's patronage has come to be known as the "Carolingian Renaissance."