John Minsheu (or Minshew) (1560–1627) was an English

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoreti ...

Biography

He was born and died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Little is known about his life. He published some of the earliest dictionaries and grammars of the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

for speakers of English. His major work was the ''Ductor in linguas'' (''Guide into tongues''), an eleven-language dictionary. With his ''Ductor in linguas'' he is also one of the first known inventors of the use of subscription as a method of funding publication of a book. He also expanded

Richard Percivale Sir Richard Percivale (''alias'' Perceval etc.) (1550 – 4 September 1620) of Sydenham, near Bridgwater, Somerset, was an English administrator and politician, also known as a Hispanist and lexicographer. He wrote a Spanish grammar for English ...

's Spanish dictionary.''A Spanish Dictionary''
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Works

* ''Joyful Newes out of the Newe Founde Worlde'' (1577) * ''Spanish Grammar'' (1599) * ''Dictionarie in Spanish and English'' (1599 & 1623), an augmented version of ''Bibliotheca Hispanica'' (1591) by Richard Percyvall (1993 reprint: ) * ''Ductor in linguas'' (''The Guide into Tongues'') (1617) ** including ''Vocabularium Hispanicolatinum et Anglicum copiossissimum'' (''A Most Copious Spanish Dictionarie with Latine and English'') * ''Pleasant and Delightfull Dialogues in Spanish and English'' (1623)

References

Sources

* Jürgen Schäfer, ''John Minsheu: Scholar or Charlatan?'', in ''

Renaissance Quarterly The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

'', Vol. 26, No. 1 (Spring, 1973), pp. 23–35.
GIGA Quotes

''Some Notes on the Life and Work of John Minsheu (1560–1627)*'', Vivian Salmon, London
(PDF)

External links

* Example of ttp://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/IOEPP/id/88 a pagefrom 1617 ed. of ''Ductor in Linguas'' 1560 births 1627 deaths Writers from London English lexicographers 16th-century English writers Linguists from England British Hispanists {{UK-linguist-stub