English has no academy. Unlike French, it never had a royal body deciding what is correct. Its standards were made by printers, dictionary writers, schoolmasters and the market.
The printing press
William Caxton set up the first English printing press in 1476. Printers needed consistent spelling, so they chose forms, sometimes by habit, sometimes by the width of a line.
Printers made choices that five centuries of speakers have followed.
The first dictionaries
Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. It did not invent English, but it fixed spellings and meanings for a growing reading public.
The grammar writers
In 1762, Robert Lowth published a short grammar that shaped how English was taught for generations. Some of his advice came from Latin, not from English usage.
Webster and American English
Noah Webster published his American Dictionary in 1828 and pushed simpler spellings: color, center, program. American and British English began to separate visibly.
The empire and the schools
As English spread through schools and administration, one written standard travelled with it. Local standards grew beside it.
Words to remember
- standardize — to make things follow one pattern
- academy — an official body for language or learning
- dictionary — a book that explains words
- spelling — the letters of a word
Questions & answers
Q: Is there an official English academy?
No. There are style guides and dictionaries, but no authority that decides correctness.
Q: Was Shakespeare responsible for standard English?
No. He shaped the language's reputation and vocabulary, but not its rules.
Q: Why is American spelling different?
Partly because of Webster's reforms and partly because the two countries developed separately.
Q: Who decides new words?
Nobody. A word becomes real when people use it and others understand it.
Q: Is standard English better than other varieties?
Standard English is useful for formal writing and international communication. It is not morally better.