Q: Emergence of "American English"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

I had a vague memory of something by Read, and a search on

http://books.google.com/books?q=1735+american-english

located it very quickly.


On 10/9/06, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> [off-list]  Thanks, Ben!
>
> Did you find this via Google Book Search?  With what search
> terms?  Or did you know the source before-hand?
>
> At 10/9/2006 03:24 PM, you wrote:
> >On 10/9/06, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>John Clive and Bernard Bailyn wrote in 1954 "By 1754, the emergence
> >>of American English, adversely commented on as early as 1735, was so
> >>far advanced that the suggestion was made, facetiously, that a
> >>glossary of American terms be compiled."
> >>
> >>Who commented in 1735?
> >>
> >>Who suggested a glossary of American terms in 1754?
> >>
> >>Might I find the answers (or other interesting information about 18th
> >>c. American speech) in M.M. Mathews, ed., "The Beginnings of American
> >>English" (1931)?
> >
> >Try Allen Walker Read's "British Recognition of American Speech in the
> >Eighteenth Century" in _Dialect Notes_ Vol. VI, 1933, reprinted in
> >_Perspectives on American English_ ec. by Joey Lee Dillard.
> >
> >http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9027933677
> >
> >The 1735 comment appears to be from Francis Moore (see footnote 37, _A
> >Voyage to Georgia: Begun in the Year 1735_). The 1754 comment is from
> >Richard Owen Cambridge in _The World_ (see first page of Read's essay
> >and footnote 1 -- confusingly, the Dillard edition has 1774 in the
> >main text and 1754 in the footnote).
> >
> >
> >--Ben Zimmer
> >

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