Mediating the Word: Language and Dialects in the British and Irish Reformations

Translating the Scriptures into the vernacular was a primary concern of Protestant reformers. This led to worries about the precise language-form in which they should be made accessible to lay folk. This article situates such evangelical debates within contemporary understanding of the nature and ro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of ecclesiastical history
Main Author: Heal, Felicity (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press 2005
In: The journal of ecclesiastical history
Year: 2005, Volume: 56, Issue: 2, Pages: 261-286
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Parallel Edition:Electronic
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Summary:Translating the Scriptures into the vernacular was a primary concern of Protestant reformers. This led to worries about the precise language-form in which they should be made accessible to lay folk. This article situates such evangelical debates within contemporary understanding of the nature and role of native tongues. Tudor and Stuart governments sometimes saw English as a tool of political control; humanists questioned the ‘copiousness’ of the vernacular; the Celtic tongues were readily identified with barbarity; the status of the written word might be contaminated by the use of dialect. Translators and authors sought to address these concerns, with great success in England, Lowland Scotland and Wales, but much less effectively in Gaelic-speaking Ireland and Scotland.
ISSN:1469-7637
Contains:Enthalten in: The journal of ecclesiastical history
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0022046904003161