Research Paper on Noah Webster's Contribution to the English Language in America

Noah Webster is a well-known American Lexicographer, editor, political writer, textbook pioneer, author, and American English reformer. He was born on October 16, 1758, and lived through to May 28, 1843, and was nicknamed the Father of American Education and Scholarship. Websters revolution vision in education started when he was young right after he attended primary school. His concerns mainly included the dilapidation of classrooms and he also viewed teachers as the dregs of humanity as the education they provided was mainly religion. Later after graduation, he noticed that elementary schools were overcrowded, disorganized with one class holding children of different ages, and unsatisfactory textbooks from England and that had no educational value. This motivated him to improve the quality of education for Americas future generations starting with how children understand English grammar, spelling, and the general language. This paper will review five ways that Noah Webster contributed to the English language in America.

Development of American English

The English language has its roots from Britain and England where the natives spoke it. As Britain expanded its territories, it wanted to establish a common culture that aimed at making it easy to govern the people under the rule of the king. English was taught in all Britain colonies and territories. However, during the American Revolution, there was a call by many leaders and English scholars such as Webster for an American national language which led to the Americanization of English to fit the needs of a universal culture and language that bind all the people. The current American English is a product of some historical developments that were contributed by different people and amongst them Noah Webster. Language is a reflection of the people culture, and it provides a deeper insight into the history of the people. The history of man and his development can not only be identified in the history of the country but also different changes that happen in a language during a particular period of time. Today, American language has gained popularity and acceptability due to the contributions of Noah Webster. Being a prolific author, English language spelling reformer and a political writer the contribution of Noah Webster to the American English is very immense. Through political writing and editing, Noah works of writing could be read by many people which led to the creation and familiarization of some words and text order. During his education days, Noah Webster experience of poor proper English language education he was motivated to improve education for the students of the future (Levinson, Martin pp. 221).

Noah Webster believed that if he wanted to improve the English language in America, he had to compose an Americanized dictionary so as to assert language independence as a nation. In 1806, Noah published the first edition of an American dictionary and later published a newly formatted edition in 1828. He was inspired that if America managed to make changes to the language, it would then be able to improve its government, science, and technology. The Americanized dictionary has been a symbol of cultural independence in the United States as it contains distinctive idioms, styles, and pronunciation. The 1828 version had a new format of lexicography with more than 70,000 entries and other distinctive American vocabulary (Blake, 2). The creation of the Americanized dictionary played a significant role in the acceptability of English as a language in American schools. In the bid to make to make some English words more phonetic Noah Webster changed many words in the dictionary which made them easier for the American children. The difference between the American English and other English variants are spoken today was as a result of Noah Webster actions. In addition, Noah Webster contribution to the English language led to the standardization of English words which resulted in the development of a single acceptable and correct word. The Meriam-Webster dictionary which was the life work of Noah Webster continues to play a significant role in teaching English in American schools and other school curriculums around the world which have adopted the dictionary.

During his teaching years from 1783, Noah Webster realized that the American education system needed changes as most of the textbooks were from England. He believed that Americans should study their own books and so he wrote: "Blue-Backed Speller" in 1783 which taught American children to spell, write and pronounce English words for over 100 years. The Blue-Backed Speller sold about 100 million copies meaning it was influential to children who were taught by it. He had started by identifying how Americans pronounced and spoke words and noticed that it was different from the England English language (Harbison). When he was composing the Blue-Backed Speller, he was inspired by the fact that he could create a language that would enable people from different parts of America to spell, speak, and pronounce the same way. His other books include Elements of Useful Knowledge (1806), little readers assistant ((1790), and a revised edition of the Blue-Backed Speller which was then named Elementary Spelling Book in 1830.

Simplification of word spelling

Noah Webster also simplified spelling in America by deleting silent letters in many words when he was composing the American dictionary and the Blue-Backed Speller. For example, the suffixes our lost the u to become or, suffixes with re switched to -er while those with -ck lost their k. Webster, therefore, made the American English simplified to learners who had a problem understanding irregular verbs. The results of his innovation are that words became shorter and more phonetic. Although all changes did not last, the American English is probably more pleasant today because of Websters simplification. Amongst the most prominent achievement of Webster in American English was changing the spelling of some words from British spelling to fit the American culture. Webster all through his efforts used the principle of uniformity to justify his alterations of the British nouns spelling. Webster argued that English words such as nouns and their derivatives should be spelled the same which led to the transformation of words such as honour to honor and musick to music. The ability of Webster to introduce the reformed words in his classes and dictionaries made his English reform activities a success.

Before Noah composed the first American dictionary, letters like "j" and "v" were not recognized as letters but as mere alternate forms of "I" and "u" respectively. Webster chose to give them a section and added them to his dictionary. Benjamin Franklin had initially suggested the removal of letters c, w, y, and j from the alphabet but still, Webster chose to keep the letters when he was composing his dictionary (McDonald). He went ahead and created the first version of the American Bible incorporating in it the American English language as defined in the Blue-Backed Speller and the American dictionary.

The perfection of the spelling book

Amongst the most important lexicographical work carried out by Webster was his contribution to the spelling book tradition. The primary purpose of the spelling book was to teach children to read but achieved more than that by improving the indoctrination of the American English in American education institutions and publications. The structure and composition of the speller book was simplified to enable students to understand and use the spell book easily. Webster experiences as a teacher played a significant role in understanding the needs of the students (Levinson, Martin, 2013).

His speller books have helped American children to learn to spell, pronounce, and speak the English language in a more simplified way for more than 100 years. It is because of Noah Websters spelling books that the American people have a common language today. Years before his contributions, education was held on the assumption that oral reading was crucial to comprehension. Noah Webster realized that comprehension would only be achieved through efficient reading instruction through spelling books to ensure that words were pronounced and spelled correctly. He improved the system of vowel pronunciation by altering the syllabification of words with diacritical marks (Mencken).

Noah Webster and the American Revolution

Noah Webster contribution to American English during the American Revolution is unparalleled. In the height of the American Revolution, many people were following up on newspapers. At this time, Noah Webster was publishing political articles which were read by many people around American and further familiarized the American people with the Americanized English words which at the end became accepted and the American English culture. Noah Webster truly participated in the American Revolution by embracing radical ideas that associated with Americas new freedom and traditions. His critical roles lie in defining Americas cultural identity through the innovation of American English language as it is known today. During the 1780s, Webster wrote essays that addressed education reform in America which he lectured in national tours where he also addressed other cultural issues. With support from American founding father Benjamin Franklin and other influential leaders, Webster further pushed for the advancement of copyright laws to protect the work of textbook authors. During the American Revolution, Webster had become of age, and he was a strong advocate of the constitution convention which made it possible for Webster to interact with American politicians at the time giving him a good profile amongst the Americans. Webster strongly believed in developing cultural independence from the British culture, and he perceived Americanizing English as an important approach towards establishing American independence and self-rule (Levinson, Martin, 2013).

Noah Webster and American Textbooks

The American textbooks feature simplified words and are also authored in American English. Before then, students across America were using textbooks that were authored by Britons and other English speaking countries which were more complex in terms of the English words used in the books. Noah Webster was able to champion for the use of American textbooks in American schools instead of books written in England that were more indoctrinated on the allegiance to the king. Webster believed that Americans needed a unifying language and textbooks which can unite all the people. Just like the American Revolution wanted to establish an American language for the Americans Webster wanted to establish a national language that could be understood by all the people. To realize this, Webster noted that to establish a national language and a nation that emulated unity and patriotism it was important to promote the education of children using American material that supported the American culture and ideals. Between the year 1783 and 1900 Webster` s speller book was able to make many sales across America which further motivated him and other American authors to create American textbooks and English content. In 1780, Webster was leading from the front in writing English content and essays that advocated for reform in the education sector to incorporate American cultural ideals. The creation of the American magazine in the 1780s also further aided in popularizing his ideals for American English and reform of the education sector. Using Benjamin Franklin and George Washington ideals in the American Magazine further made Webster`s ideals more successful, and many Americans were aware of his work. I...