How Did Noah Webster Create An American English Language

Although the American Revolution had already concluded by the end of the 18th century, another revolution was beginning to surface. The creation of America’s unique culture was taking place before their own eyes, and creating a national language was just a step in unifying a new nation. Originally, many Americans were using British resources to learn English even when they seceded from Britain. However, that was until men from across the nation, one of which was Noah Webster, wanted to create a new culture that was independent from Great Britain’s. Webster specifically wanted to help foreigners by making the spelling accurately correspond to the pronunciation with little to no difference. Additionally, he wanted to modify the English language to produce a more concise and “clear” language. He planned on doing this remarkable feat by influencing the new American generations with his proposed ideas through An American

These two famous works from Webster would change the pronunciation and spelling of words, and provide inexpensive education on the American English; all of which would ultimately shape America forever. Formerly, many Americans were using Thomas Dilworth’s A New Guide to the English Tongue to learn the English tongue. It was thanks to Noah Webster’s, An American Spelling Book which attempted to shape the English language in America and paved the foundations for the American English. Originally, English in America had variations in spelling and punctuation which demonstrated that the newly formed nation was not yet unified ("Noah Webster").Webster believed that, “even the smallest regional differences in spelling and pronunciation could turn into political difference, resulting in dangerous factions” (Pearson). As a result, Webster wanted to forge a national dialect, one that would be distinct