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Noah Webster

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Noah Webster

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Also known as Noah Webster, Jr.

American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, writer, editor and author (1758-1843)

AI overview

Noah Webster was an American lexicographer and textbook writer who lived from 1758 to 1843 and played a major role in shaping how American English was taught and standardized. He is best known for creating influential spelling textbooks and dictionaries that established many of the spelling conventions Americans still use today, and for his efforts to reform and standardize the English language in the newly independent United States.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1758
Died
1843
Works
509

Top works

  • New collegiate dictionary
  • Third new international dictionary of the English language unabridged
  • Elements of useful knowledge, containing a historical and geographical account of the United States
  • Elements of useful knowledge. Volume I.
  • Webster's New international dictionary

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Gender
Male
Origin
United States
Active from
1909-03-27
Active to
1973-09-20
2008 universal fire victimeasy listeningjazzswing

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
4
Total plays
6

<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Noah+Webster">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Noah Webster

Quotes

  • There iz no alternativ. Every possible reezon that could ever be offered for altering the spelling of wurds, stil exists in full force; and if a gradual reform should not be made in our language, it wil proov that we are less under the influence of reezon than our ancestors.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Born
Noah Webster Jr. , ( 1758-10-16 ) October 16, 1758, Western Division of Hartford , Connecticut Colony , British America
Died
May 28, 1843 (1843-05-28) (aged 84), New Haven, Connecticut , U.S.
Resting place
Grove Street Cemetery
Party
Federalist
Spouse
Rebecca Greenleaf Webster ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. October 26, 1789</span>"}]]}'>1789 ) ​
Alma mater
Yale College
Occupation
Lexicographer Author
Allegiance
United States
Branch service
Connecticut Militia
Battles wars
American Revolutionary War

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Noah Webster pre-1843 IMG 4412.JPG
Number of children
8
Show 6 more facts
Commons category
Noah Webster
date of birth
1758-10-16
date of death
1843-05-28
Commons gallery
Noah Webster
name in native language
Noah Webster
Commons Creator page
Noah Webster
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~35 min read

Article

A portrait of Webster by Samuel Morse Webster's home in New Haven, Connecticut, where he wrote An American Dictionary of the English Language; the home was later relocated to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. Noah Webster (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education". He authored a large number of "Blue-Back Speller" books which were used to teach American children how to spell and read. He is also the author for the modern Merriam-Webster dictionary that was first published in 1828 as An American Dictionary of the English Language.

Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, Webster graduated from Yale College in 1778. He passed the bar examination after studying law under Oliver Ellsworth and others but was unable to find work as a lawyer. He found some financial success by opening a private school and writing a series of educational books, including the "Blue-Back Speller". A strong supporter of the American Revolution and the ratification of the United States Constitution, Webster later criticized American society as being in need of an intellectual foundation. He believed American nationalism had distinctive qualities that differed from European values.

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