Orthographers and "Good Authors": the role of Auctoritas in the definition of the Eighteenth Century Orthographic Canon

Abstract

The instrumental conception of grammar – strongly conservative and regulated, which originated in Alexandrian grammarians and that would last until the twentieth century – continued the important role of the so-called “good authors” in the definition of grammatical canon, including spelling, which is justified given that in addition to the regulation of linguistic behavior, this instrumental conception also included the access to literary texts. However, like the grammarians themselves, these “good authors”, among which stands out Vieira, are conspicuous by their irregularity and the tendency to form individual spellings. From the practice of some of the most relevant authors in the metalinguistic literature of the eighteen century, particularly João de Morais Madureira Feijó (1688-1741) and Francisco José Freire (1719-1773), the present paper analyses the role of auctoritates of the “good authors” establishing the canon for spelling in their time and how this role would begin to change, particularly in Madureira Feijó, thus anticipating its decline.