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Tuesday 21 April 2015

Grammar

Greek second century grammarian Apollonius, known as Dyskolos ('Bad-tempered') was the first to reduce Greek syntax to a system. He wrote a treatise On Syntax and shorter works on pronouns, conjunctions, and adverbs.

Latin grammarian and rhetorician Aelius Donatus (c.300-c.399) taught in Rome during the mid fourth century. His treatises on Latin grammar were in the Middle Ages the only textbooks used in schools, so that Donat in western Europe came to mean a 'grammar book.'

The Cathach of St Columba, dating from the early 7th century and possibly written by the saint himself, was maybe the first script to use capitals. To emphasize the beginning of an important passage, the scribes wrote its first letter much larger than the rest of the text and in a grander style.


Until the 1200s grammatical gender existed in English. Eg. The sun was feminine so instead of saying 'the sun' you'd say, 'sēo sunne'

The first grammar of a modern European language was presented to Queen  Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon on January 16, 1492. Published by Antonio de Nebrija, Gramática de la lengua castellana was a grammar text for the Castilian Spanish language. De Nebrija introduced the grammar to the Catholic Monarchs, newly restored to power in Andalusia, as "a tool of empire."

French Jesuit priest and grammarian Dominique Bouhours died on May 27, 1702. His last words were "I am about to -- or I am going to -- die: either expression is correct."


Before 1762, there was no influential prescribed English grammar rules, but a desire within the middle class to teach their children to speak like the upper class prompted Bishop Robert Lowth to publish a prescriptive grammar book. His A Short Introduction to English Grammar, became the foundation of current English grammar.

During his first career as a schoolteacher at the time of the American Revolution, Noah Webster was concerned that most of his students' textbooks came from England. So in 1783 he published his own American text, A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. The "Blue-Backed Speller," as it was popularly known, went on to sell nearly 100 million copies over the next century.

President Harry S. Truman had no middle name - his parents gave him the middle initial S to honor his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Truman didn't use a period after the initial. After he was elected president, the editors of the Chicago Style Manual informed Truman that omitting the period was improper grammar and a bad example for America's youth. From that moment on, the thirty-third president signed his name Harry S. Truman.

National Grammar Day is observed across the United States each year on March 4th. Designated in 2008, the National Grammar Day was established by Martha Brockenbrough, author of Things That Make Us [Sic] (2008) and founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. The observance encourages the use of correct grammar in both verbal and written language.

The Apostrophe Protection Society that was founded to enforce the proper use of the apostrophe in written English was brought to a "full stop" in 2019. The founder of the society stated that "the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!"

An unidentified man has spent years venturing out at night in Bristol to correct infractions against the English language. The "grammar vigilante" sneaks out at dark to fix mistakes and add apostrophes on public street and retail signs. around the city.

There is a specific order to Adjectives for the English language. Native speakers can just tell if it sounds right or not, and it may not be apparent to non-native speakers at first - in general the order is: opinion, size, age / shape, color, origin, material, purpose.

Sources Historyworld.net, Grammar.about.com

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