People often introduce a definition of a word by saying, “Webster says . . . “ The truth is, Noah Webster himself — the founder of American lexicography, or dictionary-making — hasn’t actually “said” ...

The lexicographer was pen pals with Founding Fathers John Adams, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and the new nation’s greatest swordsman, George Washington. Webster has been dubbed "The Forgotten ...

At the risk of showing my age, I will admit that I began school before the advent of spell-check. When I didn't know how to spell a word, my teachers told me to look it up in the dictionary. I never ...

In a previous post, I discussed Noah Webster's compulsive nature. His "touch of madness" -- his obsession with compiling and organizing information of all sorts -- enabled him to devote thirty years ...

In 1789, Noah Webster called on the newly independent United States to claim its own national version of the English language. That is what Noah Webster wrote in 1789 at the age of 31, long before he ...

FAIRBANKS - "What Single Word Defines Who You Are?” was posed in a BBC.com article by David Robson wherein trial is imagined between you and a robot to determine which is human, with the nonhuman ...

On 23 July 1788, a curious procession marched through New York city. The occasion was the ratification of the new American constitution. The demonstrators included all sorts – professional men, ...

Language is important in shaping a nation’s identity, culture, and education. Early on, the Americans used many British dictionaries, and most of them were British in their spelling, pronunciation, ...

In a previous post, I discussed Noah Webster's compulsive nature. His "touch of madness" -- his obsession with compiling and organizing information of all sorts -- enabled him to devote thirty years ...