1956 Concise Edition Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language

Description

To understand why the 1956 edition of Webster’s New World Dictionary is noteworthy, one must first understand the historical context … more To understand why the 1956 edition of Webster’s New World Dictionary is noteworthy, one must first understand the historical context of this edition. Webster’s dictionary dates back to 1806. In 1807 Noah Webster started two decades of intensive work to expand his publication into a fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language. To help him trace the etymology of words, Webster learned 26 languages. Webster hoped to standardize American speech which had many dialects. As a spelling reformer, Webster believed that English spelling rules were unnecessarily complex, so his 1828 dictionary introduced simplified American English spellings and colloquialisms which did not appear in British dictionaries. In 1843, after Webster's death, George Merriam and Charles Merriam secured publishing and revision rights of the dictionary. They published several revisions, which did not change any of the main text but merely added new sections. It wasn’t until 1961 that the dictionary underwent a major overhaul. In 1961, Merriam made substantial changes that sparked public controversy. The new dictionary omitted standard punctuation and avoided complete sentences when a phrase was sufficient. It also marked a shift from prescribed usage to common usage of American speech.

Now back to the 1956 edition and why it’s noteworthy. The 1956 edition preceded the 1961 changes. It is, in a sense, a time capsule of the American English Language as it had been for over a century, a standard that would disappear just five years later and be replaced with a more informal, abbreviated, colloquial version of the American English language. less