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[Leslie Cheswyck]

Yale celebrates Noah Webster's 250th birthday


NEW HAVEN, Conn. � 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 percent 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."...


...The language of the new nation was up for grabs," Kendall said. "Webster said we're going to speak American English."

Webster's speller made it easier for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded. The French version of words like "centre" became "center" and he dropped the British "u" in words like colour" and the redundant "k" in musick and other words...

[Ya-ta Boy]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOAH!!!

And thanks for getting rid of that stupid 'u'.