The Bishop's Grammar

Robert Lowth and the Rise of Prescriptivism

By: Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade

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Hardcover | 25 January 2011

At a Glance

Hardcover
360 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.1 x 16.2 x 3.5

Hardcover

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This spirited account of the life and language of one of the seminal figures in the history of English grammar dispels the myth of Lowth as the icon of prescriptivism, and establishes him as the most important figure in eighteenth-century English grammar writing.

Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade examines the life and work, as well as the language, of Robert Lowth (1710-1787), reputed founder of the grammatical prescriptivism greatly deprecated by modern linguists and educational theorists. She considers Lowth and his grammar in the context of his time and from the perspective of his aims and readership. Once the grammar had been accepted for publication, she shows how it developed into a publishers' project similar to Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language which it was intended to complement. Drawing on contemporary sources, including Lowth's extensive correspondence, his unpublished memoir, and his last will and testament, Professor Tieken explores the social networks, aspirations, beliefs, and reading habits that informed and shaped his grammar and ideas on language. She also shows that Lowth's own language often fell short of the norms and strictures advanced in his book. By comparing the grammar with guides to English usage published in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Professor Tieken redefines Lowth's position in the history of handbooks of correct usage, as well as his role in the establishment of the canon of prescriptivism.

This book will appeal to all those interested in the history of English, the role of language in the Enlightenment, and the long-running debate on linguistic correctness and the merits or otherwise of prescriptive rules in the teaching and use of English.

Industry Reviews

Tieken's great virtue is paying attention to what Lowth actually wrote, both for publication and for private circulation. rather than depending on the caricatures. She has discovered a writer on language who was uncommonly sensitive to different degrees of formality ... The Bishop's Grammar is not the last word on Lowth but, if we're lucky, it will reduce the amount of foolishness attributed to "the eighteenth-century grammarians" by those who haven't bothered to read them. * Jack Lynch, Times Literary Supplement *
This is a key book for any scholar working on grammatical norms of the English language, and/or the codification and standardisation of English. Tieken-Boon van Ostade provides an alternative account to the standard depiction of Robert Lowth as an initiator of prespective grammar... it would be of great interest to a range of scholars, from those working on the nuances of eighteenth century grammar, to those looking at modern usage, and more broadly at the codification and standardisation of languages. Tieken-Boon van Ostade presents her argument well throughout the text, and it is clear that she is a stalwart defender of Lowth's name. * Laura Paterson The Linguist *
Tieken-Boon van Ostade has presented a book which is remarkable in many ways ... Apart from enriching the study of grammaticography with this methodological innovation, the author also makes a significant, well-founded contribution to debate about prescriptivism. * Simon Pickl, Language and History *

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