Naslov
The Issue of the English Language and the American Culture during the Revolutionary Period and the Early American Republic

Autori
Pejić, Luka

Izvornik
Carnival (Helsinki) (1457-1226) 13 (2011); 127-145

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, ostalo

Ključne riječi
Noah Webster; cultural reformation; history of linguistic standardization

Sažetak
American Revolutionary War provoked a kind of ‘‘cultural reformation’’ on the soil of ex- British colonies. Need for the invention of autonomous and original identity was urgent, and according to one of the leading figures of this nationalist cultural movement, lexicographer Noah Webster (1758-1843), politically independent America could not be subservient to another country in matters of such central importance as language. For the sake of cultural homogeneity, Webster proposed several language reforms directed towards standardization of spelling, and the American language in general. Strong linguistic system was regarded almost as important as well- defined government, because both could secure, it was believed, national uniformity and stability. In this context, immigrants, whose numbers were constantly increasing, presented a great challenge to the Founding Fathers who held diverse attitudes towards assimilation and tolerance of different cultures and their languages. There are three basic aims of this paper, and those are: 1) to analyze socio- political significance of attempts to execute linguistic reforms in the United States of America, predominantly those created and suggested by Noah Webster ; 2) to define American society’s and its political elites’ stand on ethnic groups who spoke languages different than English, with a special emphasis on German community, 3) ; to point-out several most important traits of early American cultural aspirations. Approximate timeframe that is in the scope of this paper’s interest is between 1770s and 1830s.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Povijest

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