WORD ON THE STREET

 (last in a series, continuation from previous blog, D is for Gobemouche, 1 in a series of 5)

The word on the streets of Philadelphia was that when Mr. Webster visited the country’s first World Heritage city, the first preeminent historical city of the New World, the Holder of the Bell, the forger of Cannons and swords and bayonets, the seat of the Continental Congress, the Home of Cheesesteak, Rocky, The Answer, The Process, and the 76ers, the City of Brotherly Love, a certain Dr. Benjamin Rush said: “I congratulate you on your arrival at Philadelphia,” to which Webster returned the greeting with: “Sir you may congratulate Philadelphia on the occasion.”

Not everyone was a fan of Webster; you have received a snapshot of his personality.  He was against the Bill of Rights, as were others; he felt that freedom of the press would be abused. He supported the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the latter of which made it a federal crime to print libelous criticism of governmental officials.  The Federalists Party which he was a member of believed that it was impossible to attack members of the government without attacking the very foundation of government itself. 

One sentence does not encapsulate a man, nor does a paragraph, maybe e a book, but definitely a lifetime.  In Noah Webster’s writings, Woman’s Education in the Last Century, he said: “I declare, that no man ever marries a woman for her performance on a harpsichord, or her figure in a minuet. However ambitious a woman may be to command admiration abroad; her real merit is known only at home. Admiration is useless when it is not supported by domestic worth. But real honor and permanent esteem are always secured by those who preside over their own families with dignity.”  

epistrophe

noun

epis·​tro·​phe |  \ i-ˈpi-strə-(ˌ)fē   \

Definition of epistrophe

:  repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect (such as Lincoln's "of the people, by the people, for the people")

Webster felt w-i-m-m-e-n, (women) folk, as he proposed the spelling of woman and women, should not go above their station and they should be educated enough to raise children, but no further.  Young people, especially females, should not see the vicious part of mankind.  He did though change in the Webster Version of the Bible the word folk to people.

Webster’s Accomplishments

After The Holy Bible at 5,000,000,000+ copies, Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-Tung at 800,000,000, The Holy Quran at 800,000,000+, Lord of the Rings by J.R Tolkien – 150,000,000+ copies.  We can insert Noah Webster in the elite company of the Plus One Hundred Million Club of said, read, and widespread books.

The American Spelling Book, also famously called the Blue-Backed Speller written in 1783, has never been out of print and has been considered in the top 25 best sellers.  The total sales have been estimated as high as 100,000,000+ copies.*

Mister Noah Webster, the behind the scenes Founding Father, the Father of American Copyright Law, an educator, agent for social change, lexicographer, an Influencer on the Framers of the Constitution and American Law with his political theories, Newspaper Founder, Translator, learned 20+ languages, founded a college, pioneered in epidemiology, became an antislavery advocate, et cetera.  In view of all his accomplishments, his name is synonymous with the Dictionary.  It was a book that reflected his principles that spelling, grammar, and usage should be based upon the living, spoken language rather than on artificial rules.  He fought for a national identity, progress, and language.

etcetera

noun

et·​cet·​era | \ et-ˈse-tə-rə  , -ˈse-trə also it-, nonstandard ek-, nonstandard ik-  \

Definition of etcetera

: a number of unspecified additional persons or things

NATIONAL DICTIONARY DAY

100 miles away from Noah Webster’s birthplace, just a little over 100 years later a street hustler named Malcolm Little was incarcerated.  He was illiterate, inarticulate, and inquisitive. In 1946 he was imprisoned in the Norfolk Prison.  He started with the dictionary and said: “I’d never realized so many words existed!  I didn’t know which words I needed to learn.  Finally, just to start some kind of action, I began copying.”  He copied the dictionary page by page, starting with Aardvark, wrestled each letter to write in order to pronounce and brand them into his memory.

 Malcom X said in his autobiography: “I could for the first time read…and now begin to understand what the book was saying…the new world that opened.  I never have been so truly free in my life. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.”  When asked what his Alma Mater was, he replied: “Books.”

The objective of National Dictionary Day is to inspire self-improvement by the way we use the gift of speech and to enhance and empower our command of language and vocabulary by engaging in a study of the dictionary. Books and words, words and books, books and words, words and books.

ACTIONABLE STEPS

·      Buy your family a Merriam-Webster Dictionary and play word games as listed below.

·      When your child doesn’t know the definition of a word, ask them to look up physically the word and its definition.

·      When you learn a new word, try to use it immediately and several times during the week.

·      LEVEL UP.  After this blog there are some games, links, and activities for everyone including adults, families, children and students.

·      VISIT THE NOAH WEBSTER HOUSE IN HARTFORD CONNECTICUT

HOMEFUN FOR MY CLASS MONTANA HOME SCHOOL ASSIST STUDENTS

For my students in Montana Home School Assist don’t get into a kerfuffle, your home fun assignment is below.

homefun (not yet in the dictionary)

noun

home·fun | \ ˈhōm-ˌ fən  \

Definition of homefun

1:  awesome learning on your own at home that you have to tell your teacher and friends about the next day

2:  an assignment, privilege, and gift of learning given to a student to be completed outside the regular class period

3:  exploring new worlds through reading, experimenting, interviewing and just being generally curious

kerfuffle

noun

ker·​fuf·​fle | \ kər-ˈfə-fəl  \

Definition of kerfuffle

: a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict

HOMEFUN FOR MONTANA HOME SCHOOL ASSIST CLASS

(OTHER STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE)

·      Choose 3 vocabulary words in the series of blog posts and create sentences for each of them and write them in the comments.

·      Go to the Dictionary and randomly find 5 new fun words that you didn’t’ know before and write their definitions in the chat.

·      SUPER COOL LEVEL – Create a sentence for each of the 5 fun new words.

·      Once you finish send me a message in the comments of the blog.  “Mistofer Christopher, or Mister Chris.  I’m finished!”

·      First student to complete the exercise I will send a prize to you.

DEEPER DIVE because I still have questions:

1. Who is the Merriam in Merriam Webster?

2. What is a Federalist?

3. Who was Dr. Benjamin Rush?

4. What was Noah Webster’s religious background?

5. Tell me more about his family

6. What else was the word on the street about him and what else did he accomplish?

7. How many words are actually in the English Dictionary?

8. How does a word enter into the dictionary?

GAMES

·      FAVORITE NEW WORDS IN THE DICTIONARY

·      TEST YOUR VISUAL VOCABULARY

·      Spelling Bee Quiz

·      BALDERDASH

·      SCRABBLE

·      SUBSCRIBE TO A WORD A DAY

·      HOW STRONG IS YOUR VOCABULARY

·      ODD HABITS AND QUIRKS QUIZ

·. COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS LIST

·      WORDS YOU LOVE TO HATE

*References

·      Definitions listed in this blog are from the Merriam Webster Dictionary 

·       https://connecticuthistory.org/noah-webster-and-the-dream-of-a-common-language/

·       https://www.merriam-webster.com/about-us/spelling-reform

·       https://www.alltopeverything.com/top-10-best-selling-books-of-all-time/

·       https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noah-Webster-American-lexicographer

·       https://publishingperspectives.com/2010/09/top-25-bestselling-books-of-all-time/

·       Woman’s Education in the Last Century

Comment below with a word that begins with E. Let’s EXHAUST the dictionary.