Search Results: the american criterion of the english by carrol james

New London, Connecticut: Samuel Green, 1795. First edition. Early American imprint (1795) with emphasis on American pronunciation of the English language. The author, in the preface, recognizes distinct regional differences even within the American mode of speech - "The pronunciation of the southern states of English America is almost as different from that of the New-England states, even among the learned, as any two dialects of the language of any illiterate nation can be supposed to be : and yet both those parts of America abound with men of bright genius, large mental capacities and profound learning". The author also recognizes the diaparity between the written and spoken English language, and attempts to teach new English readers a consistent method of pronunciation based on a system of rules set forth in the book. Paper covered wooden boards with calf spine, ix, (2), 12-119, (1)p., with the final page citing errata. Free endpapers absent, otherwise a complete copy with age-toned… Read More