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The study of grammar has followed a continuous thread from the ancient foundations of Greek and Latin scholarship, through the prescriptive grammars of early modern English, to contemporary linguistic research. This enduring tradition highlights how classical insights into language structure, syntax, and usage have shaped modern approaches to understanding and teaching language, reflecting a legacy that bridges centuries of scholarly thought.
The Great Tradition of Grammar: From Dionysius Thrax to Modern Times
Grammar, the art and science of language, has a rich history that stretches from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern era. Across centuries, grammarians have sought to describe, prescribe, and explain the rules of language, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape education, linguistics, and philology today.
Ancient Greek Foundations
Dionysius Thrax (c. 100 BC)
Often regarded as the father of Western grammar, Dionysius Thrax authored the Ars Grammatica, the first systematic grammar of Greek. He defined grammar as “the art of reading poets” and classified words into eight parts of speech: noun, verb, participle, article, pronoun, preposition, adverb, and conjunction.
Recommended edition: Gustav Uhlig (Teubner, 1883).
Apollonius Dyscolus (2nd c. AD)
Known as the first true syntactician, Apollonius wrote extensively on Greek syntax. His treatises, particularly On Syntax, influenced later grammarians and shaped the study of sentence structure for centuries.
Herodian (2nd c. AD)
A master of prosody and accents, Herodian’s work was essential for philologists studying Greek poetry and speech. His detailed analysis of pronunciation and rhythm ensured accurate transmission of texts.
Hephaestion of Alexandria — Enchiridion de Metris
This concise manual on Greek metre was widely copied in antiquity and served as a foundational text for students and scholars of poetry.
Latin Tradition (Late Antiquity)
Marcus Terentius Varro (1st c. BC)
Varro’s De Lingua Latina offered a philological study of Latin, influencing later grammarians such as Donatus and Priscian.
Aelius Donatus (4th c. AD)
Donatus authored the Ars Minor and Ars Major, which became standard school texts throughout the Middle Ages, teaching Latin grammar to generations of students.
Priscian (c. 500–525 AD)
Priscian’s Institutiones Grammaticae was a monumental work that codified Latin grammar and became a cornerstone of medieval scholarship.
Other notable Latin grammarians, such as Remmius Palaemon, Flavius Caper, and Charisius, are preserved in fragments and cited in the Grammatici Latini series.
Medieval to Renaissance Transmission
The Grammatici Graeci and Grammatici Latini series (19th-century Teubner editions) preserved scattered scholia, commentaries, and fragments from antiquity, ensuring their accessibility to later scholars. Donatus’s works were among the earliest texts printed in the Gutenberg era, illustrating the continuity of grammatical study from manuscript to print culture.
Early Modern English Grammar
Robert Lowth (1762)
Lowth’s A Short Introduction to English Grammar became a prescriptive standard, shaping English education in Britain and its colonies.
Lindley Murray (1795)
Murray’s English Grammar was widely used in schools across Britain and America for nearly a century, emphasizing clear rules and proper usage.
Goold Brown (1851)
Brown’s The Grammar of English Grammars offered a comprehensive digest of English grammar rules and remained influential in the 19th century.
Modern Scholarly Works
Vivien Law (1997)
In Grammar and Grammarians in the Early Middle Ages, Law examines how ancient Greek and Latin grammars were transmitted, studied, and adapted in medieval Europe, bridging classical scholarship and modern linguistics.
Other general histories include R. H. Robins’ A Short History of Linguistics and various editions in the Loeb Classical Library and Brill Handbooks, which provide critical commentary and translations of key grammatical texts.
Bibliography
- Dionysius Thrax, Ars grammatica, Gustav Uhlig, Teubner, 1883.
- Apollonius Dyscolus, On Syntax, Bekker editions.
- Hephaestion, Enchiridion de metris, Ophuijsen ed., Brill.
- Donatus, Ars Minor & Ars Major, modern critical editions.
- Priscian, Institutiones Grammaticae, digitized editions, Internet Archive.
- Varro, De lingua Latina, Loeb Classical Library edition.
- Lowth, A Short Introduction to English Grammar (1762), Gutenberg / Internet Archive.
- Murray, English Grammar (1795).
- Brown, The Grammar of English Grammars (1851).
- Law, Vivien, Grammar and Grammarians in the Early Middle Ages, Routledge, 1997.
