Hodson, J. (2006) The problem of Joseph Priestley's (1733-1804) descriptivism. Historiographia Linguistica , 33 (1-2). 57 - 84. ISSN 0302-5160
Abstract
Joseph Priestley’s (1733–1804) Rudiments of English Grammar (1761, second revised edition 1768) has often been interpreted as demonstrating that, unlike most 18th-century grammarians, Priestley took a descriptive approach towards the study of language. This article argues that such a characterisation both of Priestley’s work and that of his contemporaries is misleading. The article offers a reappraisal of Priestley’s Grammar, demonstrating that the idea of linguistic perfectibility is central to his linguistic ideas, but that it has often been overlooked by modern commentators. The two editions of Priestley’s Grammar are assessed, and it is argued that the substantial alterations that he makes for the second edition reveal a grammarian struggling to bring order to the study of the English language.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2006 John Benjamins Publishing. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Historiographica Linguistica. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > School of English (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 27 Nov 2014 11:51 |
Last Modified: | 25 Apr 2015 18:52 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/hl.33.1.06hod |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | John Benjamins Publishing |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1075/hl.33.1.06hod |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:81947 |