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Abstract
This article widens the focus of the debate around multilingualism in early modern Europe. Using the life-writing of a scholar, traveller and Protestant minister from the Scottish Highlands, Rev. James Fraser (1634-1709), it provides a North Sea perspective on the theme. The article sheds light on how Fraser, and his locale (the ‘firthlands’ of northern mainland Scotland) produced a dynamic scholarly contribution in local, regional, national and transnational terms, one that was defined by a culture of code-switching and polyglossia. Employing, in particular, his history of the Fraser family to 1674 and his three-volume memoir of his travels in Europe, it finds a common thread in Fraser’s presentation of his life in its multilingual nature. Focusing first on the spoken word, and, subsequently, on reading and writing, the article shows how Fraser’s evidence from the seventeenth-century Scottish Highlands provides a vital insight into how the English language rose in the Highlands and across the Atlantic archipelago, and, conversely, how early modern northern Europeans, speakers of minority languages in particular, experienced and sustained multilingual cultures.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 37(1) |
Pages (from-to) | 57-74 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Renaissance Studies |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 22 May 2022 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'The multilingual minister: languages and code-switching in the life-writing of Scottish Highland scholar and traveller, Rev. James Fraser (1634-1709)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Activities
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The ‘Curious Cleric’ and the Highlands Before Culloden: Rev. James Fraser (1634-1709) – Q&A
David Worthington (Interviewee)
17 Jan 2023Activity: Other › Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation
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Maverick minister proves you can live a ‘significant’ life in the Highlands
David Worthington (Interviewee)
6 Feb 2023Activity: Other › Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation
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The Curious Cleric: What was the Scottish Highlands like in the century before the Battle of Culloden?
David Worthington (Invited speaker)
9 Aug 2022Activity: Talk / Presentation / Podcast / Webinar › Invited talk