Noël François de Wailly | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1724-07-31)31 July 1724 |
| Died | 7 April 1801(1801-04-07) (aged 76) |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation(s) | Lexicographer andgrammarian |
| Family | Charles de Wailly (brother) |
Noël François de Wailly (31 July 1724 – 7 April 1801) was a Frenchgrammarian andlexicographer.
He was born atAmiens. He was a student of Joseph Valart and Philippe de Prétot.
Noël François de Wailly spent his life inParis, where for many years he carried on a school which was extensively patronized by foreigners who wished to learnFrench. In 1754 he publishedPrincipes généraux de la langue française, which revolutionized the teaching ofgrammar in France. The book was adopted as a textbook by theUniversity of Paris and generally used throughout France, an abstract of it being prepared for primary educational purposes.[1]
In 1771, de Wailly publishedMoyens simples et raisonnés de diminuer les imperfections de notre orthographe, in which he advocatedphonetic spelling. He was a member of the Institute from its foundation (1795), and took an active part in the preparation of theDictionnaire de l'Académie.[2]
His works, in addition to those cited, includeL'Orthographe des dames (1782) andLe Nouveau Vocabulaire français, ou abrégé du dictionnaire de l'Académie (1801).[2]
He was the brother of architectCharles De Wailly and the grandfather of archivist and librarianNatalis de Wailly.
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wailly, Noël François de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 245–246.