James Platt Junior's Contributions to Old English Grammar 1
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19230774 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen Laker (0000-0002-3615-2183, Kyushu University Fukuoka Japan, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Transactions of the Philological Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0079-1636 • E-ISSN: 1467-968X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-968x.70022 |
| OpenAlex | W7124840976 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
In 1883, Henry Sweet took issue with James Platt junior, a 21‐year‐old language enthusiast. At the time, Platt was England's brightest young prospect in Old English linguistic studies. Sweet recognised Platt's talent, but he became convinced that he was also a plagiarist and tried to have him expelled from the Philological Society. Yet Sweet blew out of all proportion mistakes that were largely the result of Platt's lack of experience. In fact, Platt made several original and influential discoveries of his own that were never properly accredited to him. Furthermore, numerous corrections and improvements to the second edition of Eduard Sievers' Old English grammar (1886) are owed to Platt, yet Sievers failed to acknowledge his assistance in the grammar. This article offers a late appreciation of Platt's work on Old English and shows that he made important discoveries as an amateur philologist
Amateur · English grammar · English language · Grammar · Old English · Philology · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · Lexicography and Language Studies · Linguistic Variation and Morphology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |