AA:I'mAviArdittiwithRosanneSkirble, andthisweekonWORDMASTER: morefromourinterviewwithArthurSchulman. He'scompiledabookofwordsanddefinitionssetforthbyNoahWebsterinhis1828 AmericanDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage.

RS:"TellusalittlebitaboutNoahWebster, whohewasandhowhecameaboutwritinghisdictionary."

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Well, hedidalotofthings. Hewasapatriot. HewasatYaleUniversitywhenthe[American] revolutionbrokeout, andthenhehadtoleaveschoolfortherevolution. Hecamebackandfinishedhisdegreethere. Aftertherevolution, hewasanearlynewspaperman, acolumnist. AndthenhewasaFederalist-- untilhisdeath, Ithink, butcertainlyearlyon, defendingtherevolutionandagreatsupporterofit."

AA:"AndasIunderstandit, hebelievedthatthenation-- thenewnation-- reallyneededanationallanguage."

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"That'sright. Andsohewasaconsiderableeducator. Infact, hisfirstbookswerecalled-- therewerethreebooks, allpartofwhathecalledtheGrammaticalInstitute, andthefirstonewastheSpeller, whichcontinuedinprintuntilwellpastnineteenhundred. Sothatbookwasinprintformorethanahundredyears."

RS:"Didhehaveaproblemoranissue, thatallthesedifferentspellingshewantedto--

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Well, earlyonhe, like[Ben] Franklin, wasinterestedinreformingspellingandreallymakingradicalchangessothatthewrittenlanguagecouldbereadandsoundlikethespokenlanguage. ButIthinkeverybodygavethatupasanimpossiblejobafterawhile. Heclungtoafewspellingchangesthathestillhopedtohavelastinhiseighteentwenty-eightdictionary, butbythattimehewasnolongeraspellingcrusader."

RS:"Andwhatwastheproductthatheproducedineighteentwenty-eight."

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Ineighteentwenty-eightheproducedadictionaryofseventythousandwordsthathehadbeenworkingonforwellovertwentyyears-- actually, Ithinkmoreliketwenty-fiveyears. Andhedidthatbecausehefeltverystronglythatthecountryneededadictionarytoreflectthelanguagethatexistedhere, whichwasnolongerexactlythesameasthelanguagethatexistedinthehomecountry, orEngland."

AA:"Canyougiveustwoorthreeexamples?"

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Well, I'llgiveyouanexampleofawordthat'schangeditsmeaning. Theword'empiricism'meantbackinWebster'stimethepracticeofmedicinewithoutamedicaleducation-- quackeryiswhatitmeant. 'Thepretensionsofanignorantmantomedicalskill.'Andnowwhatwemeanbyempiricismistheattentiontothewaytheworldis, recordingwhatweobserve."

AA:"Evidence."

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Yes."

AA:"What'sanotherexample?"

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Well, Icangiveyouexamplesofthingsthathedidn'tcatch, forexample, becausetheyweretoonewortheyhadn'treallycomeintothelanguageyet. Forexample, 'browse,'inthesenseofskimmingthroughabook, readingpassagesthatcatchtheeye. That'sthewayweusebrowsemostlythesedays. Andinhistimeitstillmeanttheliteralsenseofgrazing, asacowwouldgrazeinafield.

"Hehadahardtimemarketingthebook. Hewasgoingdoor-to-doortryingtosellit. Anditwasanexpensivepairofvolumeswhenitcameout. Thedictionarythenwentintoasecondeditionthathewaslargelyresponsiblefor. AndthenitwastakenoverbytheMerriamcompany. SoitbecameMerriam-Webster, andwe'vehadMerriam-Websterwithuseversince."

RS:"AndwhatdoesthisdictionarytellusabouttheAmericancharacter-- whowereweasAmericansineighteentwenty-eight?"

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"Well, ittellsusalotaboutWebster'scharacter. Hewasagreatmoralist. Hismoralismpervadesthedefinitionsthroughoutthebook. Hetellsushowtobehave. Hetellsuswhat'sright. Hetellsusthatweshouldeducateourchildren. Hetellsusthatslaveryisevil. Hetellsusallkindsofthingsandthesethingsworktheirwayintomany, manydefinitions.

"Hetellsusthat'MarriagewasinstitutedbyGodhimselfforthepurposeofpreventingthepromiscuousintercourseofthesexes.'HewillquotefromFranklin, from[George] Washington, fromJohnAdams, fromtheFederalistPaperswheneverhecan."

RS:"Anyquotesfromwomen?"

ARTHURSCHULMAN:"No. AndwhatismorestrikingisthattherearenoquotesfromJefferson, becausehewasreallyontheoutswithJefferson. JeffersonwasadeistandWebstercouldn'tstanddeism. Itwasadenialofrevelation."

AA:ArthurSchulman'sbookiscalled"Websterisms: ACollectionofWordsandDefinitionsSetForthbytheFoundingFatherofAmericanEnglish." FormoreaboutNoahWebster, gotovoanews.com/wordmaster. Andthat'sWORDMASTERforthisweek. WithRosanneSkirble, I'mAviArditti.