Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Story of Ain't - America Its Language and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

The Story of Ain't - America Its Language and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published

David Skinner

Publisher: Harper Perennial

  • 3
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

“It takes true brilliance to lift the arid tellings of lexicographic fussing into the readable realm of the thriller and the bodice-ripper….David Skinner has done precisely this, taking a fine story and honing it to popular perfection.” 
 
—Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman 
The captivating, delightful, and surprising story of Merriam Webster’s Third Edition, the dictionary that provoked America’s greatest language controversy. In those days, Webster’s Second was the great gray eminence of American dictionaries, with 600,000 entries and numerous competitors but no rivals. It served as the all-knowing guide to the world of grammar and information, a kind of one-stop reference work. 
In 1961, Webster’s Third came along and ignited an unprecedented controversy in America’s newspapers, universities, and living rooms. The new dictionary’s editor, Philip Gove, had overhauled Merriam’s long held authoritarian principles to create a reference work that had “no traffic with…artificial notions of correctness or authority. It must be descriptive not prescriptive.” Correct use was determined by how the language was actually spoken, and not by “notions of correctness” set by the learned few. Dwight MacDonald, a formidable American critic and writer, emerged as Webster’s Third’s chief nemesis when in the pages of the New Yorker he likened the new dictionary to the end of civilization.. 
The Story of Ain’t describes a great cultural shift in America, when the voice of the masses resounded in the highest halls of culture, when the division between highbrow and lowbrow was inalterably blurred, when the humanities and its figureheads were shunted aside by advances in scientific thinking. All the while, Skinner treats the reader to the chippy banter of the controversy’s key players. A dictionary will never again seem as important as it did in 1961.
Available since: 01/28/2015.

Other books that might interest you

  • Туристически думи и фрази на испански език - I listen I repeat I speak : language learning course - cover

    Туристически думи и фрази на...

    JM Gardner

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list. 20% of the words are used 80% of the time. The end goal is to get a sufficient level in one language to be able to hold simple conversations, to be able to understand simple exchanges, deal with with everyday life and start exploring the new culture that opens up to you.
    Show book
  • Babbitt - cover

    Babbitt

    Sinclair Lewis

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
    
    libreka classics – These are classics of literary history, reissued and made available to a wide audience. 
    Immerse yourself in well-known and popular titles!
    Show book
  • Effective Writing for Business College and Life - cover

    Effective Writing for Business...

    William Stanek

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    International best-selling author William Stanek helps you get the edge you need. Whether we like it or not, writing is a part of our every day lives and to get by you need an edge. Enter Effective Writing for Business, College & Life: the down in the trenches writing resource you need to be successful. Use this concise guide to help you: write essays, papers, and dissertations; create reports and presentations; develop articles, stories, and novels; publish online, and CD-ROM. Business, college and life always give us writing challenges and it is time you took control. This indispensable resource will help you be creative, get organized, be effective, and complete the task at hand.
    Show book
  • Arabic in 40 Minutes: Learn to speak Arabic in minutes with Collins - cover

    Arabic in 40 Minutes: Learn to...

    Collins Dictionaries

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Collins makes language learning fun, fast and flexible. Pick up the essentials of the Arabic language with this easy-to-use audio introduction. Covering everything from finding your way to talking about yourself, Collins 40-minute audio can help you learn short and simple phrases quickly by just listening and repeating. 
    Essential words, Asking for things, Numbers, I'd like …, At the café, In a shop, Basic foodstuffs, Quantities, Tickets, Where is …? When is …? Days of the week, Problems, About yourself.
    Show book
  • The Everything Essential German Book - All You Need to Learn German in No Time! - cover

    The Everything Essential German...

    Edward Swick

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Learn to speak and write German like a pro!Need a quick introduction to the German language? Whether you're planning a vacation, adding a valuable second language to your resume, or simply brushing up on your skills, The Everything Essential German Book is your perfect guide for learning to speak and write in German. This portable guide covers the most important basics, including:The German alphabet and translationGreetings and conversation startersCommon questions and answersVerb tenses and sentence structureWith step-by-step instructions, pronunciation guides, and practical exercises, you'll find learning German can be easy and fun! You'll be speaking--and understanding--German in no time!
    Show book
  • 1000 основни думи на корейски - I listen I repeat I speak : language learning course - cover

    1000 основни думи на корейски -...

    JM Gardner

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The 1000 essential words. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list. 20% of the words are used 80% of the time. The end goal is to get a sufficient level in one language to be able to hold simple conversations, to be able to understand simple exchanges, deal with with everyday life and start exploring the new culture that opens up to you.
    Show book