NOEL

See also:

• FRANCOIS (1558-1614)

FRANCOIS DE

See also:

• NOEL FRANCOIS DE WAILLY (1724-1801)

WAILLY (1724-1801)  , French grammarian and lexicographer, was born at Amiens on the 31st of July 1724 . His life was spent in Paris, where for many years he carried on a school which was extensively patronized by foreigners who wished to learn French . In 1754 he published Principes generaux de la langue francaise, which revolutionized the teaching of grammar in France . The book was adopted as a textbook by the university of Paris and generally used throughout France, an abstract of it being prepared for primary educational purposes . In 1771 de Wailly published Moyens simples et raisonnes de diminuer les imperfections de noire orthographe, in which he advocated phonetic spelling . He was a member of the Institute from its foundation (1795), and took an active part in the preparation of the Dictionnaire de l'Academie . His works, in addition to those cited, include L'Orthographe des dames (1782) and Le Nouveau Vocabulaire francais, ou abrege du dictionnaire de l'Academie (18oI) . He died in Paris on the 7th of April 18os .