John Palsgrave

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John Palsgrave (around 1480 – 1554) was a priest of Henry VIII of England's court.

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 first grammar of the French language. Its purpose was to help Englishmen who wanted to learn French.

It's also useful for understanding the history of the English language.

[edit] 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