English

Noun

speechlore ‎(uncountable)

1. The science, study, or knowledge of language or speech; linguistics.
   • 1865, British Archaeological Association, The archaeological journal: Volume 22:

     I know it may be said that place names are very unsafe ground, as they are mostly taken by wild casts of thought ; but the truth is that they are more or less trustworthy, as they are taken upon wider or narrower grounds of speechlore.

   • 1877, David Masson, Sir George Grove, John Morley, Macmillan's magazine: Volume 35:

     It says they were driven forth by another race; and it is markworthy that it makes the Magyares, or Hungarians as we call them, to be what speechlore has now found them to be, Finns, or of the Finnish race, [...]

   • 1910, Benito Pérez Galdós, The grandfather:

     Morris mastered the secrets of English wordlore as much better than Shakespeare as the manifold development of the science of language (speechlore) naturally enabled him to do.

   • 1984, James W. Parins, William Barnes:

     [...] in Athenaeum called him "an enthusiast," which almost goes without saying, but went on to say that his book is valuable inasmuch as it does "do good, as it teaches many overlooked (I [Barnes] say little known) points of speechlore.

2. Philology; grammar.
   • 1887, Leader Scott, The life of William Barnes:

     After the publication of Redecraft, nearly all William Barnes's literary energies were given to "Speechlore," as he called Philology.