Knowledge of the English language in France during the Enlightenment

Abstract

At the beginning of the reign of Louis XV few educated French knew English. Even French diplomats preferred Latin, Italian, Spanish or German. However, with the wave of popularization of English culture during the Enlightenment, knowledge of Shakespeare's language became increasingly fashionable and useful among the French. This article shows the process of popularizing the English language in France in the 18th century. It was presented how it could be learned and how the most important representatives of the French Enlightenment dealt with it.