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Foreign languages, competence in
(714 words)

The Renaissance marked a revolution in the study of languages in Europe. In place of medieval Latin, which could be learned informally by listening to speakers in many places, from the pulpit to the piazza, the Humanists insisted on the teaching of classical Latin. Boys from the upper classes, and boys whose parents thereby hoped to satisfy their social aspirations, studied it at Latin schools and grammar schools (Latin schools). Some of these schools became internationally famous, such as Guarino da Verona’s at Ferrara, the Collège de Guyenne at Bordeaux (where Montaigne stu…

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Burke, Peter, “Foreign languages, competence in”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_019470>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180126



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