throughout the young republic and, among other things, persuaded Congress to pass the first copyright
laws. He was a schoolmaster with an intense interest in language reform.
In 1786, Webster was in Philadelphia listening to Benjamin Franklin’s proposal for a completely new
alphabet. Franklin had even had special type made up but, fortunately, Webster rejected the idea as too
radical. Webster had already produced a grammar book, and in 1783 he produced his first spelling book,
which soon became extremely popular as the American Spelling Book or Webster’s Blue-Backed
Speller.
Webster made frequent revisions to his spelling book, changing, improving, and enlarging, but always
striving to “extirpate the improprieties ... to reform the abuses and corruptions which ... tincture the
conversation.”^1 His spelling book quickly became one of the best selling books in the history of
American publishing. At one time there were over a hundred publishers producing the book legally and
countless pirated editions. It was in continuous publication for well over one hundred years.
(^) The version of English spoken in southeastern England was rapidly being accepted as the language of all
England, and if it had been left alone to evolve and mature, we can speculate that English spelling would
also have evolved.
The difference between Dr. Johnson and Noah Webster is clear. The former was primarily interested in
the meaning of the words and their correct usage. To Dr. Johnson, the spelling was of little importance.
The practical American, on the other hand, while stressing correct usage, was very interested in correct
pronunciation and spelling. Webster, who had traveled in Europe, was fluent in a number of languages
and had studied Anglo-Saxon, so his suggestions as to the “cleansing” of the English language were based
on serious study. Although many of his original improvements in spelling were never adopted, it is
surprising just how many of them were eventually accepted. Many of the words in our current
dictionaries, on both sides of the Atlantic, are spelled according to Webster. In the introduction to his
dictionary in 1806 Noah Webster wrote with uncanny foresight:
In each of the countries peopled by Englishmen, a distinct dialect will gradually be
formed; the principal of which will be that of the United States. In fifty years from
this time American English will be spoken by more people, than any other dialect of
the language, and in one hundred and thirty years, by more people than any other
language on the globe....^2
SPELLING REFORM
Noah Webster was the first lexicographer to attempt to bring some kind of order to English spelling.
His arguments were based on a thorough knowledge of the subject and laced with a heavy dose of
common sense. In the preface to his Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, he took great
pains to explain his reasoning. Let us use his words to look first at the centre-center, theatre-theater
problem.
We have a few words of another class which remain as outlaws in orthography.
These are such as end in re, as sceptre, theatre, metre, mitre, nitre, lustre, sepulchre,
spectre, and a few others.... It is among the inconsistencies which meet our
observation in every part of orthography that the French nombre, chambre, disastre,
disordre, etc. ... should be converted into number, chamber, disaster, disorder, etc.
confirmable to the pronunciation, and that lustre, sceptre, metre, and a few others
should be permitted to wear their foreign livery^3.