The religio-political ‘commodities’ of orthographic reform in Tudor England: John Hart and the God-king-commonwealth rhetorical model

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper aims to examine how the Tudor ‘linguist’ John Hart (c. 1501–1574) attempted to persuade his readers to accept and support his proposals for orthographic reform. The study is mainly based on the seven pieces of paratext attached to his three linguistic treatises. I argue that a God-king-commonwealth rhetorical model is discernible from Hart’s persuasive writings. On this ground, I argue that the religio-political profits of spelling standardisation were discussed by Hart in relation to the pushing-through of religious reform, the amplification of monarchical power, and the construction of national commonwealth.