#  Key Terms for the Age of Linguistic Anxiety 

 



These terms and dates form part of the discussion of the readings for this section, and you should become familiar with them. You can find them defined separately in the Glossary in the back of our textbook, as well as the [online glossary on this site](/glossary). Some of these terms may also come from our lectures, supplementary readings, and workbook exercises for the unit. *You may find it helpful to continually refer back to this list as you progress through the material and lectures of this unit.*

list of hard words (first dictionaries)  
prescriptive vs. descriptive grammar  
Inkhorn controversy  
cyclical model of language history  
Academy  
fix, ascertain, regulate  
  
1604 Robert Cawdrey's *Table Alphabeticall*  
1653 John Wallis's *Grammatica*  
1712 Jonathan Swift's *Proposal for an English Academy*  
1755 Samuel Johnson's *Dictionary*  
1761 Joseph Priestley's *Rudiments of English Grammar*  
1762 Robert Lowth's *Introduction to English Grammar*  
1822 Jacob Grimm's *German Grammar*, 2nd. ed.