University of Algiers II Faculty of Foreign Languages-Department of English 2LMD Linguistic Theories 2017\2018

The Renaissance

The conception that the structure of different languages is based on the same logical, rational categories was
developed further throughout the epoch of the Renaissance (14th-17th centuries) and in the 17th century led to the
theory of universal grammar based on logical principles, with the same fundamental categories for all languages.

The first and most famous linguistic work inspired by this theory was written by Lancelot and Arno at the
convent of Port Royal in the year 1660. It was entitled “Grammaire Générale et Raisonnée” (General and Rational
Grammar). It demonstrated the would-be identity of grammatical categories in all the languages on the example of
French, Latin, and Greek, establishing the foundation for a universal speculative grammar. Many other grammars
appeared in different European countries taking the grammar of Port Royal as a model.

The epoch of the Renaissance brought to the field of linguistics not only the idea of general rational
grammar, but the horizon of linguistics widened. New European languages came to be described in grammar books,
the newly-discovered 7th-century grammar of Irish, 12th-century grammar of Icelandic, and a 13th-century
grammar of Provencal. The study of Ancient Greek was resumed in Europe, and some scholars began to study
Hebrew and Arabic. As a result of geographical discoveries, European scholars got acquainted with the languages of
‘exotic’ countries. In the 16th-17th centuries many grammars and dictionaries were compiled of languages that had
been unknown before. Towards the end of the 18th century polyglot glossaries were compiled containing parallel
lists of words translated into as many languages as the editors could gain information of. In Germany, in the years
1806-1817 there was the publication of a huge treatise containing translations of the Lord’s Prayer into 500
languages with glossaries and commentary. The treatise was entitled Mithridates, or General Linguistics.

Philologists began to collect and publish historical monuments of languages other than Latin and Greek. In
this way materials for the future scientific history of languages were prepared. The scope of all this language
study was tremendous, but the scientific foundation of the work was inadequate. Scholars continued to state
many linguistic categories in terms of logic, taking no notice of the structural difference between languages. They
forced the description of different languages into the traditional scheme of Latin grammar. They had no proper
understanding of the difference between sounds and letters. They did not understand the nature of local dialects,
considering them to be the ‘corruption’ of the ‘correct’ form of language, i.e. of the written language of books, or
the speech forms used in ‘refined’ society. They had no idea of historical language development. Unscientific
views were expressed about the origin of language.

In spite of these drawbacks, the linguistic work done from the time of the Renaissance was of great
importance. It demonstrated the actual diversity of languages on earth. It disclosed the fact that all the living
languages were equally effective as means of social intercourse. Due to the study of different languages, materials
were gradually collected that were necessary for the creation of modern, scientific linguistics.