Robert Lowth, D. D. Lord Bishop of London

Robert Lowth (November 27, 1710 – November 3, 1787) was a Bishop of the Church of England, a professor of poetry at Oxford University and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar. Robert Lowth, D.D. Lord Bishop of London A 10 x 14 engraving from the original painting by L.E. Pine in possession of Rev. ... Robert Lowth, D.D. Lord Bishop of London A 10 x 14 engraving from the original painting by L.E. Pine in possession of Rev. ... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year. ... // Events April 10 - The worlds first copyright legislation became effective, Britains Statute of Anne Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) Births January 3 - Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1787 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is traditionally a written art form (although there is also an ancient and modern poetry which relies mainly upon oral or pictorial representations) in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Grammar is the discovery, enunciation, and study of rules governing the use of language. ...

Lowth was born in Hampshire, England, the son of Dr William Lowth. He was educated at Winchester College and entered New College, Oxford in 1729 on a scholarship. Lowth obtained his BA in 1733 and his Master of Arts degree in 1737. In 1735, while still at Oxford, Lowth entered the Anglican Church and was appointed vicar of Overton, Hampshire, a position he retained until 1741, when he was appointed professor of poetry at Oxford. Hampshire (abbr. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Inter. ... Winchester College is a public school in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, in the south of England. ... College name New College Named after Blessed Virgin Mary Established 1379 Sister College Kings College Warden Prof. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... The term Anglican (from the Angles meaning English) describes the people and churches that follow the religious traditions developed by the established Church of England. ...

Bishop Lowth wrote a translation of the Bible and it was said by E.J. Waggoner in 1899 that his translation "without doubt, as a whole, the best English translation of the prophecy of Isaiah." I have the Isaiah translation but was looking for the translation in its entirety when I happened upon this site.

In 1750 he was appointed archdeacon of Winchester. In 1752 he resigned the professorship at Oxford and married Mary Jackson. Shortly afterwards, in 1753, Lowth was appointed rector of East Woodhay. In 1754 he was awarded a Doctorate in Divinity by Oxford University, for his treatise on Hebrew poetry entitled Praelectiones Academicae de Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum. Winchester Cathedral as seen from the Cathedral Close Arms of Winchester City Council Winchester is a city in southern England, and the administrative capital of the county of Hampshire, with a population of around 35,000. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... Doctor of Divinity (D.D., Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an academic degree. ... Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 6 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ...

Lowth is by no doubt best remembered for his publication in 1762 of A Short Introduction to English Grammar. Prompted by the absence of simple and pedagogical grammar textbooks in his day, Lowth set out to remedy the situation. Lowth's grammar is the source of many of the prescriptive shibboleths that are studied in schools, and established him as the first of a long line of usage commentators who judge the English language in addition to describing it. An example of both is one of his footnotes: "Whose is by some authors made the Possessive Case of which, and applied to things as well as persons; I think, improperly." His most famous (or infamous) contribution to the study of grammar was his prescription that sentences ending with a preposition—such as "what did you ask for?"—are inappropriate in formal writing.² 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Grammar is the discovery, enunciation, and study of rules governing the use of language. ... Look up Shibboleth in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For the Internet2 research project, see Shibboleth (Internet2). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In linguistics, prescription is the laying down or prescribing of normative rules for a language. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with adposition. ... Robert Lowth, D. D. Lord Bishop of London Robert Lowth (November 27, 1710 – November 3, 1787) was a Bishop of the Church of England, a professor of poetry at Oxford University and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar. ...

Lowth's method included criticising "false syntax"; his examples of false syntax were culled from Shakespeare, the King James Bible, John Donne, John Milton, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and other famous writers, raising the question, by what authority did Lowth aspire to judge these writers' syntax? His approach was based largely on Latin grammar, and a number of his judgments were arrived at by applying Latin grammar to English, a misapplication according to critics of a later generation (and his own stated principles; he condemned "forcing the English under the rules of a foreign Language"¹). Thus Lowth condemns Addison's sentence "Who should I meet the other night, but my old friend?" on the grounds that the thing acted upon should be in the "Objective Case" (corresponding, as he says earlier, to an oblique case in Latin), rather than taking this example and others as evidence from noted writers that "who" can refer to direct objects. The King James Version (KJV) is an English translation of the Holy Bible, commissioned for the benefit of the Church of England at the behest of King James I of England. ... John Donne John Donne (pronounced Dun; 1572 – March 31, 1631) was a Jacobean metaphysical poet. ... See John Milton (politician) for the American politician John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ... Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer who is famous for works like Gullivers Travels, A Modest Proposal, and A Tale of a Tub. ... Alexander Pope, an English poet best known for his Essay on Criticism and Rape of the Lock Pope, circa 1727. ... There are two current usages to the phrase Begging the question. Recently, in popular usage, it is often used as a synonym for raising the question. However the original meaning, still recommended by most prescriptive writers on Standard English usage, is quite different: it describes a type of logical fallacy... Syntax, originating from the Greek words συν (syn, meaning co- or together) and τάξις (táxis, meaning sequence, order, arrangement), can be described as the study of the rules, or patterned relations that govern the way the words in a sentence come together. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Robert Lowth, D. D. Lord Bishop of London Robert Lowth (November 27, 1710 – November 3, 1787) was a Bishop of the Church of England, a professor of poetry at Oxford University and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar. ... Joseph Addison, the Kit-cat portrait, circa 1703-1712, by Godfrey Kneller. ... In linguistics (or generally in the linguistic sciences), an oblique case (Lat. ...

Lowth's ipse dixits appealed to those who wished for certainty and authority in their language. Lowth's grammar was not written for children; however, within a decade after it appeared, versions of it adapted for the use of schools had appeared, and Lowth's stylistic opinions acquired the force of law in the schoolroom. The textbook remained in standard usage throughout educational institutions until the early 20th century. This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ...

Lowth was appointed a fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Göttingen in 1765. He was consecrated bishop of St. David's in 1766; however, before the end of the year he was transferred to the see of Oxford. He remained Bishop of Oxford until 1777 when he was appointed Bishop of London as well as dean of the chapel royal and privy councillor. In 1783 he was offered the chance to become Archbishop of Canterbury, but declined due to failing health. Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. ... Landmark Gänseliesel fountain at the main market Göttingen ( â–¶(?)) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... St Davids ( Welsh: Tŷddewi) is the smallest city in the United Kingdom, with a population of under 2,000 people. ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... 1777 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Arms of the Bishop of London The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

Notes

¹ A Short Introduction to English Grammar, p. 107, condemning Richard Bentley's "corrections" of some of Milton's constructions. Richard Bentley (January 27, 1662 – July 14, 1742) was an English theologian, scholar and critic. ... See John Milton (politician) for the American politician John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ...

²In what may have been intentional self-reference, Lowth used that very construction in discussing it. "This is an Idiom which our language is strongly inclined to; it prevails in common conversation, and suits very well with the familiar style in writing; but the placing of the Preposition before the Relative is more graceful, as well as more perspicuous; and agrees much better with the solemn and elevated Style." Ibid., pp. 127–128. A self-reference occurs when an object refers to itself. ...

See also

• Linguistic prescriptivism