韦伯斯特(1758～1843年)

Webster, Noah

美国词典学家及作家。曾在耶鲁大学学习，也念过法律。在纽约教书时开始了他终身致力的教育事业。首先出版了《英语语法原理》，包括了《美国拼音课本》（1783），亦即着名的《蓝脊拼音课本》至今已销售了一亿册以上，这可能是美国史上最畅销的书，为韦氏提供大量收入，是其一生的主要生活来源。韦伯斯特是狂热的联邦主义分子，曾创办两份支持联邦主义的报纸（1793）和撰写许多这方面的文章。1821年与人共同创办阿默斯特学院。1806年出版第一本字典《简明英语词典》；1807年开始编纂《美国英语大词典》（1828，1840；第二版）。反映出他的主张：拼写法、语法和惯用法应完全根据活的口语，摒弃人为的规定。该字典的版权後来转让给乔治和查理.梅里厄姆公司，该公司出版了一系列的梅里厄姆-韦氏词典。

English version：

1758～1843年

Webster, Noah

U.S. lexicographer and writer. Born in West Hartford, Conn., he attended Yale University and studied law. While working as a teacher in New York, he began his lifelong efforts to promote a distinctively American education. His first step was publishing A Grammatical Institute of the English Language, including The American Spelling Book (1783), the famed “Blue-Backed Speller” that went on to sell some 100 million copies (making it perhaps the best-selling book in American history) and provided much of his income for the rest of his life. An ardent Federalist, he founded two pro-Federalist newspapers (1793) and wrote articles on politics and many other subjects. In 1821 he cofounded Amherst College. He produced his first dictionary in 1806; in 1807 he began work on his landmark American Dictionary of the English Language (1828; 2nd edition 1840). Reflecting his principle that spelling, grammar, and usage should be based on the living, spoken language, it was instrumental in establishing the dignity and vitality of American English. The rights to the dictionary were purchased from his estate by George and Charles Merriam, whose firm developed the Merriam-Webster dictionary series.