No, it wasn't The Grammar Anarchist, although the need persists. (Will we never learn?)
ANSWER: Noah Webster. Yup! Back BEFORE the U.S. Constitution was finalized, he taught school and realized the blasphemy of teaching British words to kids whose parents were overthrowing the king. He wrote the Blue-Backed Speller for his students and published it in 1783. He followed that with a grammar book in 1784 and a reader in 1785.
Still, we insist on spelling honor with a “u” and center with the “er” reversed!
1 comment:
I often wondered who made the changes. Now I know! :)
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