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Autograph Letter Signed, to Editors, ca. 1835-1843, n.p. 2 pp., 7 1/2 x 9? in. "The ignorance or negligence which introduced wrong spelling, &, in some cases, made words which are nonsense, & then permitted these words to occupy a place in our best books, even in the Bible, for centuries; appeared to me an abuse of the language not to be tolerated.I was educated in all the errors & blunders of the English books; & it has given me more trouble to unlearn & correct them, than to have learned the language correctly at first. And I am still learning, as much as I was forty years ago. Some errors were admitted into the first edition of my books, because I had not discovered them.This fascinating letter to the editors of a newspaper or journal explains Webster's rationale for updates to his monumental An American Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1828. Webster's dictionary made an immediate impact on American culture and national identity, yet numerous critics were quick to point out inconsistencies and make much of a handful of seemingly nonsensical words. Complete TranscriptMessrs Editors. Soon after I published my large dictionary, several years ago, one of our most learned philologists wrote to me, that when he first saw my spelling of certain words, he had objections to the alterations; but after reading my reasons, his objections were removed. The alterations I have made are comparatively few, & my reasons for these are stated in the American Dictionary. As this work is in few hands, many persons see these alterations, without knowing the reasons. To prevent the prevalence of erroneous opinion on this subject, I have sent to the newspaper press, my reasons for certain alterations of spelling, for the benefit of those who have not, & are not able to procure, my larger dictionary. To prevent any objection to the republication of my remarks, in other papers, the remarks were separated into short articles, that they might be inserted without excluding more important matter. But my wishes have not been realized. The attentive reader of my books & my observations will see that the few alterations made have not been capriciously made; but that all are founded on reasons which to me appeared substantial. The ignorance or negligence which introduced wrong spelling, &, in some cases, made words which are nonsense, & then permitted these words to occupy a place in our best books, even in the Bible, for centuries; appeared to me an abuse of the language not to be tolerated. I was educated in all the errors & blunders of the English books; & it has given me more trouble to unlearn & correct them, than to have learned the language correctly at first. And I am still learning, as much as I was forty years ago. Some errors were admitted into the first edition of my books, because I had not discovered them. These are now corrected. My reasons for what I have done are before the public; I have written enough & more than enough. If what I have written is not sufficient to justify me, the addition of observations would be of no use. My scheme of forming a series of books, from a spelling book to an etymological & defining dictionary, is now finished. But the incessant attempts to supplant my books, & defeat my object, without other reasons, would prevent me from continuing my labors. English philology is in a miserable condition, both in England & the United States; old errors are continually republished; & without more accurate scholarship in the higher seminaries of learning in both countries; & without more accurate scholars for the makers of books for schools, & for superintendents of education, all efforts of mine to reform & improve the language will be useless. N Webster.PS. The pamphlet which I have sent to you, will supersede further observations.[1]Historical BackgroundAfter publishing a speller, a grammar book, and a reader in the 1780s and editing a Federalist newspape. (See website for full description).
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