Translation and bilingual texts in the history of Portuguese grammar “for the instruction of the English”

Abstract

Names such as Jacob Castro, António Vieira, C. Laisné, Richard Woodhouse, Alfred Elwes, A. Kinloch, Charles Henry Wall and John Laycock are important references in the grammatical framework of Portuguese as a foreign language (PLE) in Anglophone context. They are all authors of grammar and exercise manuals of the Portuguese language, published in London between the 18th and 19th centuries, which shows the interest of the target audience and the publishing market in Portuguese grammar literature. Some of the titles of these publications highlight the role of translation and bilingual texts in the grammatical description: "(...) with exercises in double translation"; "(...) with examples selected from the best authors". Based on these works, it is aimed at this work answer some of the following questions: How do you fit such texts and translation exercises into the general macrostructure of grammar and your didactic course? What are the authors' conceptions regarding the practice of the language they describe? How to articulate the literary reading and the practice of translation with the teaching / learning of the language? How to contextualize these practices within the framework of PLE grammar, especially in the context of the differences between grammars addressed to an Anglophone target audience. works aimed at a francophone target audience?