Johnson vs Webster Comparison
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Johnson vs Webster Comparison
Two dictionaries, two goals
A dictionary does more than list words: it records how people spell and use them. In the 1700s, Samuel Johnson set out to make a dictionary of English. His A Dictionary of the English Language appeared in 1755. Johnson worked for about nine years and included definitions for more than 40,000 words. He added quotations from writers to show how words were used in real sentences. His work helped preserve the spellings and writing traditions found in English literature. Across the Atlantic, Noah Webster had a different goal. After the United States became an independent nation, Webster argued that Americans could shape their own version of English. His An American Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1828. It included American words and meanings, and it used spellings such as color instead of colour and center instead of centre. These shorter spellings became common in the United States. Johnson and Webster both wanted to explain English clearly, but they emphasized different things. Johnson recorded a long tradition of English writing; Webster promoted a distinct American style. Their dictionaries helped influence spelling and word use on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dictionary maker
Samuel Johnson
Noah Webster
Published
1755
1828
Main emphasis
Preserving English writing traditions
Building a distinct American style
Example spelling
colour
color
Read, reason, and use vocabulary
Complete all nine tasks.
- Webster's dictionary, in 1828
- Johnson's dictionary, in 1755
- They were published in the same year
- The passage does not say
- colour → color
- center (the American spelling)
- quotations showing how words appear in literature
- Samuel Johnson
- Noah Webster
- Noah Webster
- He included quotations from writers.
- He published his dictionary in 1828.
- He promoted shorter American spellings.
- He included American words and meanings.
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
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