- John Palsgrave
John Palsgrave (c. 1480 – 1554) was a priest of
Henry VIII of England 's court.After studying at
Cambridge University , he became tutor toPrincess Mary Tudor in 1513, until her marriage toLouis XII of France . He accompanied her to Paris, but by 1516 he had moved to Louvain;Sir Thomas More wrote toErasmus to recommend him.In 1525, he was appointed tutor to Henry's illegitimate son,
Henry Fitzroy He composed "L'esclarcissement de la langue francoyse" (printed in 1530 in
London and dedicated to Henry VIII). This book — written in English despite its French title — is said to be the firstgrammar of theFrench language . Its purpose was to help Englishmen who wanted to learn French. He also translatedWilliam Fullonius 's Latin play, "The Comedy of Acolastus", which he dedicated to the King.It is also useful for understanding the
history of the English language .Further, the first simile of the English phrase "as deaf as a post" appears to originate from Acolastus: "How deaf an ear I intended to give him ... he were as good to tell his tale to a post." and may be attributed to Palsgrave.
Bibliography
*"John Palsgrave: L'éclaircissement de la langue française (1530). Texte anglais original avec traduction et notes de Susan Baddeley",
Paris , Honoré Champion 2003, ISBN 2-7453-0851-3,
*"John Palsgrave as Renaissance Linguist: A Pioneer in Vernacular Language Description", Gabriele Stein, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997, ISBN 0-19-823505-4
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