A Background Study of the Origins of English Grammars in the Late 16th & Early 17th Centuries

A Background Study of the Origins of English Grammars in the Late 16th & Early 17th Centuries

In the application of the label 'traditional' to everything written prior to Leonard Bloomfield's Language, the study of the traditional grammar of English may be said to begin With the linguistic interest of the Renaissance and Restoration, as an outgrowth of Zeitgeist of the Renaissance The vernacular languages of Europe came into their own during the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance and began to be used for many advanced lands of writing which had previously been restricted to Latin, the language of perfection at that time. The more self-aware atmosphere stimulated a concomitant interest in the grammars of the vernaculars Especially in the 16th century, a number of the European vernaculars received serious grammatical treatment for the first time, and new national grammatical traditions developed The first English grammar was written by William Bullokar in 1586, and the earliest important English grammar was written by William Shakespeare's contemporary, Ben Jonson The present study elucidates the general background of the development of early English grammars from 1586 to 1654 An understanding of the formative background of some early English grammars and their grammatical features will provide insight into current English grammar and contribute to English grammar education