Lowth's legacy in teaching English to foreigners: The case of Thomas Connelly's English grammar in Spain

Abstract

This article sheds light on the influence exerted by Robert Lowth's (1710-1787) English grammar (1762) overseas in the teaching of English as a foreign language, and more particularly, on the work of the Irish friar Thomas Connelly (1728-1800), author of the most popular English grammar for Spaniards published in Spain in 1784. After setting the context for both the life and work of this author, it examines the similarities in content and wording between Connelly and Lowth's English grammars through a comparison of selected passages occurring in both works. This analysis will help us determine to what extent Connelly relied on Lowth and how faithful he was to his source