The Dictionary Wars! with Gabe Henry
Host Sarah talks with writer and lexicography enthusiast Gabe Henry about the "dictionary wars" between Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and rival lexicographer Joseph Worcester, and how these battles shaped modern English spelling and national identity. They trace the messy history of English, the rise of Americanisms that offended British elites, Johnson's and Webster's massive dictionary projects, and the petty, decades-long feud between Webster/Webster's heirs and Worcester. The conversation also explores why radical spelling reform failed, how small spelling changes were quietly smuggled into American English, and what these stories reveal about obsession, failure, and the politics embedded in language.