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English Grammatical Categories and the Tradition

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English Grammatical Categories and the Tradition IS:> N , / · 4- <l '// TH HENRY SWEET SOCIETY CAMBRIDGE I <ll 1 1111 Ill' t1 OltY 0 1 1 INC 1l Jl!d IC IDI /\S Reissm? l;itOldnttl Vie•> l' 1usl<lon 1. English Grammatical Categories Prof•1'1'•1 11 11 lii1l1l11• MI\ . 11 1 11 111 11 Mlt-111111 1, C.IJ .I: ., Ph .D., Hon.D.Lltt. and the Tradition to 1800 IAN MICHAEL First published in 1970, this important work is beirig reissued at a time of growing interest in linguistic historiography. It has always been assumed that English grammar has been merely taken over from Latin gr.unmar. Studying the history of English grammars to 1800, Dr Michael tests this assumption, and shows that the Latinate grammatical tradition is much less unanimous and authoritative than has been supposed. £20.00 net Universal Languages and Scientific Taxonomy in the Seventeenth Century ! MARY SLAUGHTER In the seventeenth century proposals and schemes for an artificial language intended to replace Latin as the international medium of communication gained currency. Professor Slaughter views the universal language movement in the context of the development of science, and discusses the panicular language schemes proposed. ' .. provides srudents·ofthe age the means by which to view the language movement from a different vantage within the context of the history and development of science and ideas. This book can be strongly recommended• Seventeenth-Century News £27.50net Syntactic Theory in the High Middle Ages Modistic Models of Sentence Structure MICHAEL A. COVINGTON In this study Michael Covington considers the origins and development of the theories of sentence structure formulated by the Modistae, a group of grammarians and logicians who flourished in Paris between about 1270 and 1310. £25.00 net Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 39 Grammatical Theory in Western Europe 1500-1700 The Trends in Vernacular Grammar I G.A. PADLEY This is a companion volume to Dr Padley's monograph, Grammatical Theory in Western Europe 1500-1700: the Latin Tradition (CUP 1976 ). The new volume deals with the early grammar of the five main European languages - English, French. German, Italian and Spanish- and is the first to treat West European vernacular grammatical theorv as a whole. 'This Volume and its predecessor will undoubtedly remain the standard treatments of European Renaissance for the foreseeable future.' The Times Literary Supplement £30.00net Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building. Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge C82 2RU. England I M11 y 1111 111 N 1•: W S I. I•: T T E R I ssue No. 5 HENRY SWEET SOCIETY NEWSLETTER THE HENRY SWEET SOCIETY for the HiStOrY of LingtliStiC Ideas FIFTH I SSUE: MAY 1986 President: Professor R.H . Robins, M.A., D.Lit. This newsletter carries the programme for the Third Annual Vice-President: Ian Michael, C.B.E., Ph . D., Hon.D.Litt. Coll oquium of the Society, which it is hoped will be as successful and as well attended as those in previous years. To expedite Executive Committee: arrangements, those wishing to attend are kindly requested to return Chairman: L.Seiffert, M.A., Dr.Phil. Hertford College, Oxford. their application forms as promptly as possible. Hon. Secretary: Vivian Salmon, M.A. The editor regrets that pressures both of space and of time have 5, Rotha Field Road, Oxford OX2 8JJ. Hon. Treasurer: J.L . Flood, M.A., Ph.D. made it impossible to include all items submitted for the newsletter Ins titute of Germanic Studies, University of London, in the present issue, but all such materials have been kept on file 29 Russell Square, London WClB 5DP. for future ones. Books and articles sent in by members are now added Hon. Ed. (Newsletter): D.F.Cram, B.A., Ph.D. to the Henry Sweet Society Collection in Keble College Library. Hon. Assistant Sec. (Conference Further donations of members' publications would be welcome, so as to build this collection into a useful research resource, and may be arrangements): Eirian Davies, B.A., Ph.D. addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Vivian Salmon, 5 Rotha Field Road, Committee Members: Professor Anna M.Davies, M.A., F. B.A . D.R.McLintock, M.A., D.Lit. Oxford OX2 8JJ. Professor Emeritus P.B. Salmon, M.A., Ph.D. D. Wujastyk, B.Sc., M.A., D.Phil. The present newsletter editor has expressed to the Committee a desire to stand down from his duties after the current issue, and a successor will be duly proposed by the Committee at the Annual Colloquium. The editor would like to take this opportunity of The Henry Sweet Society was founded in February 1984 with the following thanking members for their support, of craving indulgence for aims: editorial shortcomings, and of expressing the hope that from the acorn "to promote and encourage the study of the history of all branches of of its first beginnings the newsletter will, under new editorship, linguistic thought, theoretical and applied, and including non­ strike yet stronger roots and put out yet bushier branches. European traditions" David Cram Newsletter Editor Membership of the Society is open to all persons engaged in scholarly study Department of Linguistics or research appropriate to the Society's aims. Associate membership is Aberdeen University open to undergraduates, and to graduate students of not more than five years' standing since registration. Applications for membership (which are subject to the approval of the Committee) should be made to the Hon. Treasurer, at the address given above. CONTENTS It is hoped to include in each newsletter details of new members of the 2 Society, and it would therefore be very helpful if applicants could provide Programme for the Third Annual Colloquium the following information, for inclusion (where appropriate) in the next 4 issue : Items from the Second Annual Colloquium 17 (1) Full name and title (Prof./Dr/Mr etc.), degrees and address to A.C. Gimson, 1917-1985 which correspondence should be sent News 19 (2) Name of employing institution (if any) and address if different 20 from above Meetings 21 (3) If any of your publications are relevant to the interests of the New Mem bers Society, please give bibliographical details, including forthcoming Publications Received 22 artic les or books (4) Interests in general (teaching or research) related to the aims of the society. For details of subscriptions, see back cover. ---- - HSS NEWSLETTER 2 May 1986 May 1986 3 HSS NEWSLETTER 1.00 Lunch Henry Sweet Society: Third Annual Colloquium 2.30 Symposium: 3 - 6 September 1986 Theories of the Origin and Kinship of Languages; A Historicar-surve-y-.---- ---- - - Arranged by Professor P. Salmon and Dr R. Schreyer. PROGRAMME 4.00 Tea Wednesday l September 4.15 Continuation of symposium 6 p.m. onwards Registration 5.30 A.G.M. 7.00 Dinner 6.30 Dr R. Burchfield : The comple tion of the OED. 8.00 Wine party (hosted by the Committee) 7.00 Dinner 8.00 Group meetings if desired Thursday ~ September 10.30 Registration Saturday ~ September Coffee 8.30 Breakfast 11 • 00 Dr V. Law: ~ ~ Haran ~ and its ill\'.)licatioos for the develq:rnent of gramar in Antiquity. 11.45 Dr P. MUhlh!Iusler: Tow~history £!._ Papuan Abstracts of the papers will be sent to members who book for the linguisti cs. colloquium. 1.00 Lunch 2 .00 Dr D. Knox: Renaissance ideas on gesture. 2.45 Dr D. Droixhe: Comparatisme et linguistique academique au A booking form for the colloquium, to be returned by 25 July XVIIe si~cle. - 1986, is enclosed with this newsletter. Any member or prospe ctive member requiring an additional form or further 3.30 Prof. F. Dolezal: John Wilkins' theory of definition. information should write to the Hon. Treasurer, Dr John Flood, Institute of Germanic Studies, 29 Russell Square, London WCl 5DP. 4 .15 Tea 5.00 - 6.30: Visit to Keble College and HSS library. 7.00 Dinner 8.00 Group meetings (to be arranged) Friday .?_ September 10.15 Mr D. Harley: The history of theory and practice of commerce as competing influences in the early development of shorthand. - ----- 11 .OO Coffee 11.15 Dr A. Crowley: Language, knowledge, power: 1832-1933. 12.00 Dr N. Smith: Linguistic ideas of 17th-century Puritans (provisional title). --- - -- n' ~ HSS NEWSLETTER 4 May 1986 May 1986 5 HSS NEWSLETTER GESSNER'S MITHRIDATES: NOTES ON WORKING METHODS AND ARGUMENTATION Henry Sweet Society Colloquium 1985 Dr. Erich Poppe The second annual colloquium of the Henry Sweet Society was held at Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies St Peter's College, Oxford, from 2-5 September 1985. Fifty-four members and seven guests were present. K. Gessner's ~lithridates (1555) is the earliest book (in the German world) to collect the available information about the languages of the Abstracts of papers read appear elsewhere in this newsletter, together world, ancient and modern, and to present it in an alphabetical with a summary of the symposium on mediaeval grammar, which was arrangement within the scope of one volume specifically dedicated to arranged by Dr David Thomson and chaired by .Professor R.H. Robins. this purpose. It provides us _ thus with a condensed textbook of 16th The organization of a symposium devoted to a single theme was greatly century linguistic knowledge and concepts, including the history and appreciated, and it is hoped to arrange other such symposia at future relationship of languages, which give~ it a special interest for the meetings. history of linguistic ideas. Another innovation was the establishment of groups for discussion of, Due to its encyclopaedic and compilatory nature Gessner's working and possibl~ collaborative research in, the history of ideas in methods and his use of source material deserve special attention.
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