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A BIBLIOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO THE STUDY
OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH GRAMMARS
María Rodríguez-Gil, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)
Nuria Yanez-Bouza, University of Manchester (UK)
In the preface to Volume I of his Bibliography of the English Language from the Invention of
Printing to the Year 1800, R.C. Alston makes clear his restrictive criteria as to which works
were to be considered “English grammars written in English”. Such a selection “specifically
excluded” a number of 18thc grammars which appeared in certain “sorts of books”, namely:
“(1) spelling-books containing abstracts of grammar; (2) miscellaneous works, epistolary
manuals, &c., containing brief grammars; (3) dictionaries containing grammars; (4) polyglot
grammars; (5) grammars of English written in foreign languages, as well as grammars written
in Latin by foreigners and published abroad” (Alston 1965:I.xiv).1
As this volume stands out as the major bibliographic source hitherto available for the
study of the English language, in particular for studies on the 18thc grammatical tradition, we
considered it was necessary to find out (i) what the missing grammars are in Alston, and (ii)
whether modern scholars may have been inspired by his selection or, alternatively, they have
consulted other grammars excluded by Alston in his Volume I. This interesting research has
brought us together with a view to creating a bibliographic database of 18thc English
grammars – still work in progress – which is mainly drawn from the work of previous
scholars who either published a bibliography or carried out a deep study of 18thc grammar
texts. This database will be of great interest and utility to scholars working on this field as an
effective tool of reference.
An important aspect of our research is to find out (i) what are the most popular
bibliographic sources you have consulted and (ii) why you have consulted those particular
sources. By bibliographic sources we mean what is traditionally referred to as ‘secondary
sources’, as opposed to the 18thc texts traditionally referred to as ‘primary sources’. To give
an example regarding the 19thc grammatical tradition (to prevent from biasing your answers
about the 18thc), William Cobbett’s Grammar of the English Language published in 1823 is a
‘primary source’, while Manfred Görlach’s Annotated bibliography of nineteenth-century
grammars of English (1998), would be the type of bibliographic (secondary) source we are
looking for. This questionnaire, therefore, is addressed to scholars who have worked or are
currently working on the 18thc English grammatical tradition – no need for it to be an
extensive study and no need for it to deal with ‘grammars’ only, it can also involve
dictionaries, spelling-books, manuals for letter writing or similar 18thc works which include
meta-linguistic comments.
In addition to the questions we have posited below, there is an additional section at the
end for any further comments/suggestions you may wish to note down. Your contribution will
be duly acknowledged in the paper we are preparing for the 3rd Late Modern English
Conference, Leiden, August 2007, and in any publication that will come to light thereafter.
If you have any doubt as to how to answer these questions or any further inquiry about
our investigation, do not hesitate to contact us. Please return the questionnaire as an email
attachment, preferably before 1 April:
María Rodríguez-Gil < mariarodgil@telefonica.net >
Nuria Yanez-Bouza <Nuria.Yanez-Bouza@manchester.ac.uk>
Many thanks in advance for taking your time.
We are grateful to Anita Auer for drawing our attention to Alston’s selective criteria in her paper “Measuring
the effectiveness of eighteenth-century grammars” (Colloquium: Perspectives on Prescriptivism, 2006 Ragusa,
Sicily).
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QUESTIONNAIRE
Personal Information
Name:
Affiliation:
1) Is the 18thc English grammatical tradition your main topic of research?
If it is, please indicate how long you have been working in this field.
2) If it is not, please indicate which is your main research interest, and why /
when you have worked on the 18thc English grammatical tradition.
3) What kind of work/studies have you carried out in relation to the 18thc
English grammatical tradition, e.g. dissertation, thesis, conference paper,
book, etc.? (Please provide a few (selected) titles and dates)
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4) What is the first bibliographic source you have consulted? Please indicate
author, date, and title.
5) Why did you consult that bibliographic source in the first place, e.g. you
were
told
about
it,
you
came
across
the
reference,
availability,
popularity/relevance of the work, etc.?
6) What other bibliographic reference/s have you consulted? Please indicate
author, date, and title (a maximum of five will serve as a guide)
7) Why did you consult these other studies?
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9) Is there any other work you would like to have consulted for your research
but you haven’t done so yet, and why?
10) Any other comments/suggestions will be welcome
Thanks for your time and help! Your collaboration is very much appreciated.