National Dictionary Day (16 October)

[Ross Clark]

"National" here is American. And the day is the birthday of Noah Webster
(16/10/1758-28/5/1843). Author of the "National Dictionary".
Actually called The American Dictionary of the English Language.
Published 1828. 25 years in the making, 2,000 pages, 70,000 entries.
Price $20.00.

"A great number of words in our language require to be defined in a
phraseology accommodated to the condition and institutions of the people
in these states, and the people of England must look to an American
Dictionary for a correct understanding of such terms."
(from the Preface)

This almost reads like a claim that the American senses are the correct
ones. But I think he is taking the much more reasonable position that
where UK and US usage diverge, if UK speakers want to know about the US
usage, it makes sense for them to consult an American dictionary.

Webster's first big success was a Spelling Book (1783), which sold and
sold for decades, and made him a household (or schoolroom) name. He had
some good ideas about improved spelling, several of which have become
standard for USEng.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster%27s_Dictionary

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Post by Ross Clark
"National" here is American. And the day is the birthday of Noah
Webster (16/10/1758-28/5/1843). Author of the "National Dictionary".
Actually called The American Dictionary of the English Language.
Published 1828. 25 years in the making, 2,000 pages, 70,000 entries.
Price $20.00.
"A great number of words in our language require to be defined in a
phraseology accommodated to the condition and institutions of the
people in these states, and the people of England must look to an
American Dictionary for a correct understanding of such terms."
(from the Preface)
This almost reads like a claim that the American senses are the correct
ones. But I think he is taking the much more reasonable position that
where UK and US usage diverge, if UK speakers want to know about the US
usage, it makes sense for them to consult an American dictionary.
Webster's first big success was a Spelling Book (1783), which sold and
sold for decades, and made him a household (or schoolroom) name. He had
some good ideas about improved spelling, several of which have become
standard for USEng.

Others of which have not: "Noah Webster's assertion in his 1828
dictionary—'Our common orthography is incorrect; the true spelling is
tung'" hasn't stood the test of time.

Post by Ross Clark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster%27s_Dictionary

[Ross Clark]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by Ross Clark
"National" here is American. And the day is the birthday of Noah
Webster (16/10/1758-28/5/1843). Author of the "National Dictionary".
Actually called The American Dictionary of the English Language.
Published 1828. 25 years in the making, 2,000 pages, 70,000 entries.
Price $20.00.
"A great number of words in our language require to be defined in a
phraseology accommodated to the condition and institutions of the
people in these states, and the people of England must look to an
American Dictionary for a correct understanding of such terms."
(from the Preface)
This almost reads like a claim that the American senses are the
correct ones. But I think he is taking the much more reasonable
position that where UK and US usage diverge, if UK speakers want to
know about the US usage, it makes sense for them to consult an
American dictionary.
Webster's first big success was a Spelling Book (1783), which sold and
sold for decades, and made him a household (or schoolroom) name. He
had some good ideas about improved spelling, several of which have
become standard for USEng.

Others of which have not: "Noah Webster's assertion in his 1828
dictionary—'Our common orthography is incorrect; the true spelling is
tung'" hasn't stood the test of time.

Post by Ross Clark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster%27s_Dictionary

Too bad. Webster was right.

[Christian Weisgerber]

Post by Ross Clark
"National" here is American. And the day is the birthday of Noah Webster
(16/10/1758-28/5/1843). Author of the "National Dictionary".
Actually called The American Dictionary of the English Language.

I'm positive I've seen a Webster's Dictionary of the American (!)
Language somewhere. I thought Noah Webster himself started this,
but apparently I was mistaken.

... Okay, it's _Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language_
and Wikipedia informs me that this is an independent work, wholly
unrelated to that of Webster himself. Sorry, Noah.

[Ross Clark]

Post by Christian Weisgerber

Post by Ross Clark
"National" here is American. And the day is the birthday of Noah Webster
(16/10/1758-28/5/1843). Author of the "National Dictionary".
Actually called The American Dictionary of the English Language.

I'm positive I've seen a Webster's Dictionary of the American (!)
Language somewhere. I thought Noah Webster himself started this,
but apparently I was mistaken.
... Okay, it's _Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language_
and Wikipedia informs me that this is an independent work, wholly
unrelated to that of Webster himself. Sorry, Noah.

I remember being told this long ago, that Webster was unable to
trademark his name, or the right lapsed after his death or some such, so
that 20th century dictionaries with "Webster" in the title might have no
connection whatsoever to Noah's work. That some people continued this
deceptive practice is an indication of how much NW had been identified
with the idea of a "definitive dictionary".

[Stefan Ram]

Post by Ross Clark
I remember being told this long ago, that Webster was unable to
trademark his name, or the right lapsed after his death or some such, so
that 20th century dictionaries with "Webster" in the title might have no
connection whatsoever to Noah's work. That some people continued this
deceptive practice is an indication of how much NW had been identified
with the idea of a "definitive dictionary".

I'm going to share a quote from a 1989 book with this esteemed
group for your kind consideration:

|~%[ W ]%~®
|
|A GENUINE MERRIAM-WEBSTER
|
|The name Webster alone is no guarantee of excellence. It is used by
|a number of publishers and may serve mainly to mislead an unwary
|buyer.
|
|A Merriam-Webster® is the registered trademark you should look
|for when you consider the purchase of dictionaries or other fine
|reference books. It carries the reputation of a company that has
|been publishing since 1831 and is your assurance of quality and
|authority.

.

[Ross Clark]

Post by Stefan Ram

Post by Ross Clark
I remember being told this long ago, that Webster was unable to
trademark his name, or the right lapsed after his death or some such, so
that 20th century dictionaries with "Webster" in the title might have no
connection whatsoever to Noah's work. That some people continued this
deceptive practice is an indication of how much NW had been identified
with the idea of a "definitive dictionary".

I'm going to share a quote from a 1989 book with this esteemed
|~%[ W ]%~®
|
|A GENUINE MERRIAM-WEBSTER
|
|The name Webster alone is no guarantee of excellence. It is used by
|a number of publishers and may serve mainly to mislead an unwary
|buyer.
|
|A Merriam-Webster® is the registered trademark you should look
|for when you consider the purchase of dictionaries or other fine
|reference books. It carries the reputation of a company that has
|been publishing since 1831 and is your assurance of quality and
|authority.

.
That's right.

"The rights to his dictionary were acquired by Charles and George
Merriam in 1843 from Webster's estate and all contemporary
Merriam-Webster dictionaries trace their lineage to that of Webster,
although many others have adopted his name, attempting to share in the
popularity."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster