The grammarian and the lexicographer doth protest too much

Conference item

Many grammarians and lexicographers in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England protested loudly that English was superior to other languages. In prefaces and introductions to their dictionaries, lexicographers emphasized the quality and abundance of English words. They were vocal about keeping slang and foreign words out of dictionaries. This defensive and protective stance toward the vernacular can be accounted for in several ways. First, the vernacular was perceived by anyone who knew Latin to be inferior to it, which meant that anyone with an eduction worried about their native tongue being inadequate. Next, this thinking about the vernacular as inferior reflects a middle-class desire of wanting to "fix" language, that is, render it unchanging for linguistic security. Since the rising classes' upward mobility depended in large part on correct language use, they did not want rules about language to be always changing lest they find themselves speaking or writing incorrectly. Finally, attacks on one's own language always feel like attacks on one's family, religion, patriotism, and nationality. What is significant about these protestations of English superiority is that lexicographers themselves did not follow through with their own arguments. They elsewhere in their works complained about the inadequacies of the mother tongue, debated the need to include foreign words, and attacked certain groups by criticizing their language habits.

Authors: Mitchell, L

• Alternative title: Presented at Language and Usage session
• Publication status: Not published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Edition: Author's Original
• Language: English
• Subjects: Lexicography; English Language and Literature