#  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](/glossary). 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*](http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ebookbatch.EAISS_batch:aas04289809) (blue-backed speller)  
1828 Noah Webster, [*American Dictionary of the English Language*](http://books.google.com/books?vid=HARVARD:HN3DNX&printsec=titlepage#v=onepage&q&f=false)  
1961 Merriam-Webster, [*Third New International Dictionary*](http://www.amazon.com/Websters-Third-International-Dictionary-Unabridged/dp/0877792011/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409428210&sr=1-1&keywords=Third%20New%20International%20Dictionary)