Tart–scriblita–torta–torte–torta–tortilha: A piece of cake! : Acquiring lexis in R. John Andree's (1725), A vocabulary, in six languages

This chapter investigates R. John Andree’s A vocabulary in six languages (London, 1725). This work was not conceived solely as a reference tool but with a pedagogical purpose as well; it was based on a comparative method to ease English native speakers’ acquisition of vocabulary in four living Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese) by showing their etymological similarity to their Latin ancestor – the fifth language in the Vocabulary – and between them, with English as the language of the entry words. Indeed, by viewing and memorizing Latin and Romance words together, the learner was expected to acquire them more easily. This chapter focuses on the dictionary, its method and the author’s language learning ideas and concludes with considerations relating to its contribution to innovation in language learning and teaching.