The Story of Ain’t
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| Roemer Dr. Shannon Bischoff ENGL 20501 “The Story of Ain’t” Ch. 1 - 15 Response
What really stood out in the first half of this book is not only how much the ideas behind what the dictionary represented changed over time but how, despite these changes, the motives behind them stayed the same. This one story is a clear example that reinforces my general belief that human ego is the root of nearly all solvable problems. Every single person involved in the making of every edition of Webster’s had their own thoughts and opinions on language, how it should be spoken, how it should be written and what constitutes “good” spelling and grammar. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with differing opinions, the problem is that they all felt they had some sort of authority over governing language instead of simply providing the public with a practical book. Even for the time, there is far too much censorship and attempted censorship. Also, with only a few exceptions, nearly every person involved feels like a stuffy, conceited know-it-all. Only William Allan Neilson and Leonard Bloomfield seem like reasonable, open-minded men. But still, halfway through the book and Skinner still hasn’t actually gotten to the story behind the book title. Download 7.4 Kb. Share with your friends:
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