French grammars in England 1660‑1820

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of a corpus of grammars written for learning French in England from 1660 to 1820, a period sometimes referred to euphemistically as the “long century” which saw language teaching evolve in response to broader social and epistemological developments, namely the increased codification of vernacular grammar against a backdrop of scientific rationalism and, in England, the greater institutionalisation of school-based pedagogies. The aim of the analysis is twofold: firstly, to identify some key shifts in the formulation of content, specifically changes in overall structure and distribution of sections, including differences in grammatical nomenclature, and, secondly, to contextualise these developments by considering the changing role of the grammarian-teachers as demonstrated in the way they position themselves as authors to different publics.