Key Terms for American English

These terms and dates form part of the discussion of the readings for this section, and you should become familiar with them. You can find them defined separately in the Glossary in the back of our textbook, as well as the online glossary on this site. Some of these terms may also come from our lectures, supplementary readings, and workbook exercises for the unit. You may find it helpful to continually refer back to this list as you progress through the material and lectures of this unit.

African languages
Spanish
Dutch
German
French
Algonquian languages
Indigenous American languages
trade pidgin
folk etymology

1607 The Virginia colony of Jamestown is founded
1620 Plimoth Colony founded
1786 Noah Webster, American Spelling Book (blue-backed speller)
1828 Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language
1961 Merriam-Webster, Third New International Dictionary