Johnson on Language: An Introduction

In a systematic presentation of Johnson's views on language, Johnson on Language: An Introduction addresses the problems inherent in the formation of style, as Johnson saw them, but also contains a detailed discussion of his opinions concerning the proper responsibilities of the lexicographer. The wide-ranging discussion takes in the linguistic controversies of classical antiquity, the resumption and elaboration of various classical ideas in the Renaissance period, and the way in which Johnson's own ideas have been shaped by his reading of important documents of these eras.