A 17th-century English linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of languages, particularly Anglo-Saxon and Old English, and is known for his debates on the origins of language.
William Wotton, an English theologian, classical scholar, and linguist, is chiefly remembered for his remarkable abilities in learning languages and his involvement in the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns. He is also celebrated for being the collector and first translator of the ancient Welsh laws in Wales.
Wotton was born on August 13, 1666, to Rev. Henry Wotton, rector of Wrentham, Suffolk. He was a child prodigy, able to read verses from the Bible in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew before the age of six. In 1676, he was sent to Catharine Hall, Cambridge, and graduated in 1679. During his time at Cambridge, Wotton acquired Arabic, Syriac, and Aramaic, as well as a knowledge of logic, philosophy, mathematics, geography, chronology, and history.
Wotton's parents died while he was still at Cambridge, and as a teenager, he was taken into the household of Gilbert Burnet, later bishop of Salisbury. He was awarded a fellowship at St John's College, obtaining an M.A. in 1683 and a B.D. in 1691. In 1686, he was appointed curate of Brimpton in Berkshire and the following year, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Wotton began his scholarly career as the translator of Louis Dupin's A New History of Ecclesiastical Writers, 13 vols. (1692-1699). However, he is chiefly remembered for his share in the controversy about the respective merits of ancient and modern learning. In his Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning (1694 and 1697), he took the part of the moderns, although in a fair and judicial spirit.
Wotton's remarkable abilities in learning languages and his involvement in the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns have left a lasting impact on the world of theology, classical scholarship, and linguistics. His contributions to the field of Welsh laws have also been instrumental in shaping our understanding of ancient Welsh culture.
William Wotton's remarkable life and achievements have left an indelible mark on the world of theology, classical scholarship, and linguistics. His legacy continues to inspire and educate scholars to this day.
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