Unless you’re a lexicographer, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of National Dictionary Day, but it’s celebrated by word nerds every year on October 16, the birthday of Noah Webster. Webster’s name has become synonymous with the word “dictionary” because he actually wrote the first American dictionary, an arduous task that took him more than twenty years to complete. When he finished the American Dictionary of the English Language at age 70, it defined more than 65,000 words!
However, Webster is remarkable for more than just his dictionary. He was a huge advocate of improving the quality of education for school-age children and also believed that American students should learn from American texts. He is responsible for developing what became commonly known as the “Blue-Backed Speller,” which was among the first American school texts and one of the most successful books of its time. It was used to teach children how to read, spell, and pronounce words for more than one hundred years!
Dictionary Day is a time not only to honor Webster’s accomplishments but also to celebrate the foundation of American English as its own distinct language, and there are as many ways to observe this unique American holiday as there are words in the dictionary! Here are a few ideas on how you can celebrate:
-Donate a dictionary to your local school, a young child, or an adult literacy program. The Dictionary Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing students with dictionaries, helps donors set up dictionary donation projects for their local schools.
-Learn a new word! Use a dictionary to look up a word you’ve never used before and learn its definition. Then try using it in conversation. Better yet, teach your new word to someone else!
-Play a word game with friends or family. Whether it’s a classic like Scrabble® or a newer game like Words With Friends™, there are hundreds of great word and dictionary games out there that you can play in person or online.
-Write a rhyme, a poem, or a story. Take some time to get creative using words today. Challenge yourself to write a memoir in just six words. If you’ve already learned a new word, try to include it in your creative writing project!
-Look up the etymology of your favorite words. There’s a story behind every word we use today. Many words have evolved to have completely different spellings, pronunciations, or uses from what they had when they first came into use. You can visit the Online Etymology Dictionary to learn more.
Don’t be afraid to come up with your own Dictionary Day traditions. And be sure to tell someone about Dictionary Day and why it’s important to you!
Sourced from: www.wherelearningclicks.com