CHAPTER 60

Dictionaries

A good dictionary is indispensable. English spelling is so complex that nobody can claim that they have

a perfect grasp and that they do not need a dictionary. But there is a huge variety of dictionaries. They
come in all sizes and cover all subjects. There are scientific dictionaries and medical dictionaries, and
there are dictionaries of almost every known language. There are dictionaries of proverbs, of quotes, of
slang, of strange words, and of obsolete words. One might wonder if there is a dictionary for every
subject under the sun.
Many publishers, both small and large, have produced a dictionary and many of them call their product
a “Webster’s dictionary.” Because the name is not a protected name, as the name Merriam-Webster is,
there is nothing to prevent any publisher from using it, and many do. Since no modern dictionary is even
remotely similar to Noah Webster’s original masterpiece, the name has no real meaning today.
The accuracy of a dictionary can not be taken for granted. A detailed study of any three or four
dictionaries would very quickly produce scores of disagreements and even some contradictions regarding
the correct spelling of some words. Unfortunately, when there is a difference in spelling, most
dictionaries play it safe and offer the reader a choice of what is available with little, if any, explanation.
Modern publishers do not tread the path first blazed by Noah Webster. For the most part, they are
merely compilers of word lists, content to stick to the status quo. They see themselves as recorders of
what exists today with no duty to give more than the necessary facts and, perhaps, the etymology of the
word. They sell their product by trumpeting the number of words they have listed and increase the size of
the book by adding material that better belongs in an atlas or encyclopedia.
Few, if any, dictionaries attempt to influence spelling by coming down firmly in favor of a particular
spelling that logically follows the spelling rules as against a spelling that is an aberration. Also, most
dictionaries are hesitant, almost reluctant, to accept new spellings despite the fact that English spelling is
constantly changing.
Noah Webster would be most annoyed. He saw his dictionary as a teaching tool to be used as a
powerful influence on the language. He believed that a dictionary should lead, not follow, and that it
should do so energetically. He forced Americans, and the world, to re-evaluate English spelling in order
to make it more logical. If Webster had been content to simply list all the words as they then existed—
complete with illogical spellings—the American version of the English language would not be what it is
today and Webster would have vanished into obscurity like the dictionary compilers who preceded him.