, author of some valuable and popular works on the English language,
, author of some valuable and popular
works on the English language, was born March 18, 1732,
at Colney-hatch, a hamlet in the parish of Friern-Barnet.
Of his parents little is known, and it does not appear that
he was enabled to receive a liberal education. He was intended for some trade, but had a reluctance to every effort
of that kind, and went when young upon the stage, on
which he had some, although no brilliant success. He
continued, however, to accept various theatrical engagements until 1768, when he finally quitted the stage; and
in January 1767 joined Mr. James Usher (see Usher) in
forming a school at Kensington Gravel-pits, but their partnership lasted only about two years, after which Mr. Walker began to give those instructions on elocution, which
formed the principal employment of his future life, and
procured him a very just fame. About the same time he
instituted his inquiries into the structure of language, and
the rationale of grammar, and particularly directed his attention to the orthoepy of the English language, in which
he endeavoured, by tracing it to its principles, to form a
consistent and analogical theory. The unwearied attention
he bestowed upon the subject, enabled him to accomplish
this end, and to demonstrate the errors, inconsistencies,
and affectations which had crept into pronunciation, and
which had been propagated, rather than corrected, By
many or' those who had hitherto professed to teach it. He
therefore resolved to make the public participators in the
result of his researches; and in 1772 he published, by way
of prospectus, a quarto pamphlet entitled, “A general
idea of a Pronouncing Dictionary of the English language,
”
a work which, though an imperfect attempt had been
made by Dr. Kenrick, in his “Rhetorical Dictionary,
”
might yet be considered as a desideratum. But as he found
it impossible to proceed on tiiis without farther encouragement than was then offered, he compiled an English Dictionary on a smaller scale, and on a plan not hitherto attempted, in which the words should be arranged according
to their terminations; a mode of arrangement which, though
not calculated for general use, possesses many peculiar advantages. This he published in 1775, under the title of “A
Dictionary of the English language, answering at once the
purposes of rhyming, spelling, and pronouncing;
” it has
since been republisheu under the shorter title of “A
Rhyming Dictionary.
”