Ann Fisher (c. 9 December 1719 – 2 May 1778) was an English author and grammarian. ''A New Grammar'', which appeared in 1745, made her the earliest published female author on modern
English grammar
English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, Sentence (linguistics), sentences, and whole texts.
This article describes a generalized, present-day Standard English ...
, although
Elizabeth Elstob
Elizabeth Elstob (29 September 1683 – 3 June 1756), the "Saxon Nymph", was a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon. She was the first person to publish a grammar of Old English written in modern English.
Life
Elstob was born and brought up in th ...
had published a grammar of Anglo-Saxon (
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
) in 1715.
Life
Fisher was born in
Lorton,
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, the daughter of Henry Fisher,
yeoman
Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
, of Oldscale (in
Wythop). Not much more is known of her life until her marriage to
Thomas Slack, a publisher and bookseller from
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, in December 1751. Together they had nine daughters (eight of whom survived) and conducted a number of businesses, including a ladies' school which Ann ran. Fisher had several books published by her husband. She died in 1778.
[Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy: ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English'' (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 375–380.]
Works
Early copies of her highly popular works are rare. The earliest of ''A New Grammar: Being the Most Easy Guide to Speaking and Writing the English Language Properly and Correctly'' is a copy of the second, 1750 edition, published in Newcastle. It was followed by at least 30 other editions by 1800. (It was entitled ''A Practical New Grammar...'' from 1759 and refers to an earlier ''Child's Christian Education''.)
Her book took examples of poor English as a way to teach grammar. It also attacked the use of Latin rules in the vernacular, and was the first to suggest the ''
he'' might be used for both sexes. Her work was often plagiarized and quoted outright by many subsequent authors. Among those it influenced were the language reformers
Thomas Sheridan Thomas Sheridan may refer to:
*Thomas Sheridan (divine) (1687–1738), Anglican divine
*Thomas Sheridan (actor) (1719–1788), Irish actor and teacher of elocution
*Thomas Sheridan (soldier) (1775–1817/18)
*Thomas B. Sheridan (born 1931), America ...
and
Thomas Spence
Thomas Spence ( 17508 September 1814) was an English RadicalProperty in Land Every One's Rightin 1775. It was re-issued as ''The Real Rights of Man'' in later editions. It was also reissued by, amongst others, Henry Hyndman under the title o ...
. Her other, now rare, books included ''The New English Tutor'' (1762, but no surviving copy before 1764) and ''The Young Scholar's Delight'', and ''New English Exercise Book'' (both 1770).
''An Accurate New Spelling Dictionary, and Expositor of the English Language''
Fisher attempted to add a student's dictionary to her catalogue of school books in 1771. However, the 1st edition of her ''An Accurate New Spelling Dictionary, and Expositor of the English Language'' was so close in appearance to
John Entick's ''New Spelling Dictionary'' that the Dilly brothers, who published
Entick's dictionaries, entered a lawsuit against her publisher, whom they accused of piracy. As a consequence of this suit, her dictionary was suppressed.
In 1773, the year
Entick died, she reprinted her first edition as, according to her title page, the ''second'' edition of that work.
Entick's ''New Spelling Dictionary'' of 1767 and Fisher's dictionary of 1773 are nearly indistinguishable in shape, layout, font, and running heads. Copies of this so-called 2nd edition of 1773 (Alston v.325); the 3rd edition of 1777 (not reported by Alston); and a 6th edition in 1788 (not reported by Alston) can be readily discovered. Alston notes a 4th edition in 1781 (Alston v.327), but this edition, like her genuine first edition, may be lost forever.
References
External links
María Esther Rodríguez Gil ''"Ann Fisher: first female grammarian"''1780 Edition of ''"A Practical New Grammar"''*
ttp://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2008/10/sex-symbols.html Patricia T. O'Conner ''"Sex symbols"''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Ann
1719 births
1778 deaths
18th-century British women writers
18th-century British writers
18th-century English writers
Grammarians from England
Linguists of English
People from Cumberland