English classical scholar and statesman, tutor to Prince Edward (later
Edward VI). Escaped burning at the stake (by Bloody Mary), by formally recanting his beliefs; but the whole degrading process probably led to
his death shortly thereafter.

Oh, the linguistic angle? He disapproved of the "inkhorn terms" then
becoming fashionable, and wrote a letter in which he advocated what Wiki
calls "English linguistic purism":

"our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, vnmixt and vnmangeled
with borowing of other tunges... For then doth our tung naturallie and praisablie vtter her meaning"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cheke

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2024-09-13, Ross Clark <[email protected]> wrote:

"our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, vnmixt and vnmangeled

^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^

with borowing of other tunges... For then doth our tung naturallie and

^^^^^^^

praisablie vtter her meaning"

^^^^^^^^

A bit late for that, in the 16th century.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber [email protected]

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2024-09-13 14:43:18 +0000, Christian Weisgerber said:

On 2024-09-13, Ross Clark <[email protected]> wrote:

"our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, vnmixt and vnmangeled

^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^

with borowing of other tunges... For then doth our tung naturallie and

^^^^^^^

praisablie vtter her meaning"

^^^^^^^^

A bit late for that, in the 16th century.

No doubt, but even in the 20th century the poet Robert Bridges and
others were anxious to return English to a clean and pure state. I
don't think their ideas had much influence.


--
Athel cb

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 14/09/2024 2:43 a.m., Christian Weisgerber wrote:

On 2024-09-13, Ross Clark <[email protected]> wrote:

"our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, vnmixt and vnmangeled

^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^

with borowing of other tunges... For then doth our tung naturallie and

^^^^^^^

praisablie vtter her meaning"

^^^^^^^^

A bit late for that, in the 16th century.

Yes. In the longer excerpt given by Crystal, he also uses "opinion",
"payeng", "bankrupt", "counterfeitness", "attire", "plainlie", "nature", "experience", and more.

That's why I questioned Wiki's term. I don't think he was advocating the radical purism of some later eccentrics. He just thought that many or
most of the inkhorn words were unnecessary -- as is generally admitted.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2024-09-13, Athel Cornish-Bowden <[email protected]> wrote:

No doubt, but even in the 20th century the poet Robert Bridges and
others were anxious to return English to a clean and pure state. I
don't think their ideas had much influence.

Obligatory pointer to Poul Anderson's "Uncleftish Beholding": https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/1100/docs/uncleftish-beholding.html

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber [email protected]

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)