Yale celebrates Noah Webster’s 250th birthday
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 9:10 am
The announcement came in 1800 in the back of a Connecticut newspaper just above a farmer’s reward for a stray cow. A man named Noah Webster was proposing the first comprehensive ‘dictionary of the American language.’
Webster was mocked and scorned for challenging the King’s English. About 60 per cent of the country spoke English at the time, while others spoke German, Swedish and Dutch. Even among English speakers, regional dialects were strong.
A teacher after the Revolutionary War, Webster believed that Americans should have their own textbooks rather than rely on English books. He created a speller that taught students to read, spell and pronounce words and traveled around the country
to promote the book.
His dictionary, and earlier spellers and readers widely used in schools, would help a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography about Webster. “Webster at last bonded us through our language.”
Webster is the focus of a commemoration October 16-17 at Yale University to mark his 250th birthday with lectures, an exhibition of memorabilia and a visit to his grave in New Haven.
“You cannot look up a dictionary definition today and not stumble across many definitions that were written by Noah Webster,” said Jill Lepore, a Harvard University professor. “His definitions are quite masterful.”
Webster, born in what is now West Hartford, got his first glimpse of George Washington in 1775 when he and other Yale students serenaded the commander in chief on his way to Boston.
(Agencies)
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