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Jonathan Edwards
G301 -- Harrington Summary of Chapter 2 - Reading B
In this essay, Noah Webster observes that the spelling of words in American English is very irregular. He recognizes that this is causing serious problems in the development and usage of the English language, and he makes the argument that the educators of his day should make a serious effort to reform and unify the spelling system in the newly formed United States.
Webster understands the reasons for the corruptions in spelling. The long history of English, combined with the new terminology and a mixture of many different languages, produced a very erratic system of spelling and pronunciation in England, which then was transferred to America with the colonists.
In the nation of England, there were several unsuccessful attempts to reform the language, but Webster believes he understands the fatal flaws that caused these failures. He proposes a method for reforming the language that he believes will successfully bring order and consistency.
He concludes this argument by listing some of the major benefits, which he believes will result from having a unified, consistent, and national language. He says that a distinctly American form of English-different from Britain in both pronunciation and spelling-would have a positive impact on the morale of the new nation. The people could more clearly see their distinctiveness among the other countries of the world as well as their internal unity.
Study Questions for Chapter 2 - Reading
B
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