The Story Of Ain't LP: America, Its Language, And The Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Enjoyable look at how language has changed in the 20th century, told through the story of Webster's Third, which was published in the early 1960's to almost universal derision. It's updated formatting and content was largely benign and in many ways was not as much of a departure from its predecessors as initially thought. Still, that didn't prevent sniffy language mavens from insisting that the barbarians were at the gates. Perhaps the most important historical lesson taken from the book: that American English was once considered a possession of the upper classes, to be controlled by them for the "betterment" of the middle and lower classes. And dictionaries reflected this. The democratization of American English - and the dictionary - made for a language and language resource that better reflected our diversity, but it also changed forever the concept of what is "proper usage" and what isn't. To use language wisely and well now calls for much more thought than it did before Webster's Third. That's a liberating thing - and a dangerous thing, too. I remember when the 3rd unabridged came out and the foofaraw that ensued. I'm firmly in the 2nd's camp as its usage notes were very useful. The ongoing struggle between prescriptivists and descriptivists is sometimes amusing, sometimes annoying, sometimes enraging. I understand that dictionaries are primarily a reflection of the current stage of the language, but I also think usage and etymology are important.As to this book's history of the struggle, it's complete but written in a rather pedantic style, giving little hint of the passion we language lovers feet at the time and still feel.
What do You think about The Story Of Ain't LP: America, Its Language, And The Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published (2012)?
A fascinating cultural history and an insightful look at the politics of lexicography.
—aminak82c
Never got past page 25 of this book. Booorrrrinnngggg
—Camiadkins
I didn't like this at all. I didn't even finish it.
—comicsfanatic
