John Minsheu facts for kids
John Minsheu (also spelled Minshew) was an English expert in languages and dictionaries. He lived from 1560 to 1627.
About John Minsheu
John Minsheu was born and died in London, England. We don't know much about his early life. He became famous for creating some of the very first dictionaries and grammar books for the Spanish language. These books were made for people who spoke English.
His most important book was called Ductor in linguas. This Latin name means Guide into Tongues. It was a huge dictionary that included eleven different languages!
Minsheu was also one of the first people known to use a special way to pay for his books. This was called "subscription." It meant that people would pay him money beforehand. This money helped him print the book. In return, they would get a copy of the book once it was finished. This is similar to how some projects are funded today.
He also added more words and information to an older Spanish dictionary. That dictionary was originally made by another person named Richard Percivale.
His Books and Works
John Minsheu wrote several important books. Here are some of them:
- Joyful Newes out of the Newe Founde Worlde (1577)
- Spanish Grammar (1599) - This book taught people how to speak and write Spanish correctly.
- Dictionarie in Spanish and English (1599 & 1623) - This was a dictionary that helped English speakers understand Spanish words. It was an improved version of an earlier dictionary by Richard Percyvall.
- Ductor in linguas (The Guide into Tongues) (1617) - This was his biggest work. It was a dictionary with words from many different languages.
- This book also included a very large Spanish dictionary part. It had Spanish words with their Latin and English meanings.
- Pleasant and Delightfull Dialogues in Spanish and English (1623) - This book likely had conversations in both Spanish and English to help people learn.
