Noah Webster and the American Dictionary

Noah Webster and the American Dictionary PDF

Author: David Micklethwait

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2005-01-21

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 9780786421572

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Noah Webster was described by the publisher of a competing dictionary as "a vain ... plodding Yankee, who aspired to be a second Johnson"--a criticism that rings mostly true. He was certainly vain and, born in Connecticut, undeniably a Yankee. Moreover, though he referred to Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language as a "barren desart of philology," the American lexicographer relied heavily on the book during the creation of his own American Dictionary, going so far as to filch whole sections. And few would seem more "plodding" than Webster, who was positively obsessed with collecting and preserving bits of information. He kept records of the weather, carefully logged the number of houses in every new town he passed through, filed away every scrap of his writing and everything written about him, and filled the margins of his books with references, dates and corrections. The proud Yankee's sensibilities, however, also made him a fine lexicographer. Generally credited with distinguishing American spelling and usage from British, Webster shunned prescriptive mores and was doggedly loyal to his own language habits, as well as to those of the average American speaker. The book covers Webster's major publications and the influences and methods that shaped them; recounts his life as schoolteacher, copyright law champion, and itinerant lecturer; and examines the Webster legacy. An appendix containing title page reproductions from Webster's books, as well as some from his predecessors and competitors, is also included.

W Is For Webster

W Is For Webster PDF

Author: Tracey Fern

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Published: 2015-11-10

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 1466895101

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From an early age, Noah Webster was an odd fellow who liked to talk big and loved learning. He thought America needed its own national language and knew he was just the man to create it. He started with a speller, including everyday words like "scab," "grub," and "mop," and moved on to create a small dictionary. He rode around on a horse, selling his books by hand. Then Noah decided to compile a complete and comprehensive dictionary of American English. He thought the book would take him five years to finish. It took twenty, but his dictionary today is the second-most printed book in the English language.

Noah Webster and His Words

Noah Webster and His Words PDF

Author: Jeri Ferris

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 37

ISBN-13: 0547390556

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An innovative picture-book biography about the man who wrote American history by creating the first dictionary for the United States. Full color.

The Dictionary Wars

The Dictionary Wars PDF

Author: Peter Martin

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-09-08

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0691210179

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Peter Martin recounts the patriotic fervor in the early American republic to produce a definitive national dictionary that would rival Samuel Johnson's 1755 Dictionary of the English Language. But what began as a cultural war of independence from Britain devolved into a battle among lexicographers, authors, scholars, and publishers, all vying for dictionary supremacy and shattering forever the dream of a unified American language.

Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language

Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language PDF

Author: Noah Webster

Publisher:

Published: 2010-05

Total Pages: 828

ISBN-13: 9781434103017

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This new edition has been carefully prepared in a proprietary compact format : All of the words, definitions, and examples have been preserved, but the explanations of word origins have been omitted to save space, as has Webster's lengthy technical introduction. Scripture references have been standardized in modern format, and many abbreviations have been spelled out for greater understanding. The text has been newly typeset with Charter typeface, making the text highly readable in spite of its small size. --from publisher's preface.

Noah Webster

Noah Webster PDF

Author: Pegi Deitz Shea

Publisher: Astra Publishing House

Published: 2021-09-28

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 1635925142

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This picture book celebrates one of the most important patriots in post-Revolutionary times -- Noah Webster. Most readers know Noah Webster for his dictionary masterpieces and his promotion of a living "American Language" that embraces words and idioms from all its immigrant peoples. But he was also the driving force behind universal education for all citizens, including slaves, females, and adult learners. Speaker of twenty languages, he developed the new country's curriculum, writing and publishing American literature, American history, and American geography. He published New York City's first daily newspaper. As editor, Webster conducted a study and linked disease with poor sanitation. He created the country's first insurance company, established America's first copyright law, and became America's first best-selling author.