Contradictions and Regularities in Webster’s Works

IF 0.3 Q4 CULTURAL STUDIES
Virginia Meirelles
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Noah Webster believed that a pure, regular and better form of the language existed, usually represented by a former variety that is more appropriate. However, he also believed that British English was not a model for American English because it did not follow “the analogy of the language.” Accordingly, he started a search to find the “true principles” of the English language. At that moment, his writings became more descriptive than prescriptive, but, because he was a successful textbook writer, he could not use the same model when he wrote schoolbooks. Consequently, his language analyses and his educational material became contradictory. Moreover, his earlier works and his later works are also inconsistent. This paper investigates the many inconsistencies found in Webster’s writings and tries to interpret them under the light of linguistics historiography. The results show that the contradiction in Webster’s work originates from his continued development as a language scholar and from his uncertainties arising from the linguistic practices of the time.
韦伯斯特作品中的矛盾与规律
诺亚·韦伯斯特认为,存在一种纯粹的、有规律的、更好的语言形式,通常用更合适的前一种变体来表示。然而,他也认为英国英语不是美国英语的典范,因为它没有遵循“语言的类比”。因此,他开始寻找英语的“真正原则”。在那一刻,他的作品变得更具描述性,而不是规定性,但由于他是一位成功的教科书作家,他在写教科书时不能使用同样的模式。因此,他的语言分析和教育材料变得矛盾。此外,他早期的作品和后来的作品也不一致。本文考察了韦伯斯特著作中的诸多矛盾,并试图从语言学史学的角度加以解读。结果表明,韦伯斯特作品中的矛盾源于他作为一名语言学者的不断发展,也源于他在当时的语言实践中所产生的不确定性。
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来源期刊
Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses
Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses Arts and Humanities-Literature and Literary Theory
CiteScore
0.70
自引率
0.00%
发文量
14
审稿时长
28 weeks
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