'The expression of ideas'

 

“Languageis the expression of ideas, and if the people of one country cannot preserve anidentity of ideas they cannot retain an identity of language.”– Noah Webster

 

Born in Hartford, CT on this date in1758 Webster published a book in 1828 that would change America, if not the world.  Buthis American Dictionary of the EnglishLanguage, with 70,000 “American English” words, was not met with unbridledenthusiasm.

 

Many Conservatives said it was “tooradical, bordering on vulgar” while Liberals said it was “too conservative in nature.”But Webster said the American people were craving a book like his and he wasright.  He self-published 100 thousand copies (a huge endeavor for thetime), priced it at 15 cents and took it to everyday people looking for apublication that would “capture the language of a new nation.”  It took the country by storm and sold out in justa few months.

 

 

Despite a partnership with George andCharles Merriam for subsequent versions (creating the Merriam-WebsterDictionaries), Webster’s name became synonymous with the “American language”dictionary.  From the poet Emily Dickinsonto schoolchildren across the country having a “Webster’s” was essential towriting success.

 

“Every child,” Webster said, “. . .should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him inlife, practice (and) understanding the history of his own country.”

@font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}