Dec 27, 2009

The American Language | Critical Overview

The American Language was a surprise bestseller upon its publication in 1919 and is still respected as a classic work today. While some linguists dismiss the book as the work of a talented amateur, its admirers outnumber its detractors. Mencken's contemporaries praised the work as thorough, scientifically sound, intriguing, and entertaining. Praising the book for its scientific approach, W. H. A. Williams of Twayne's United States Authors Series Online describes it as "a work of solid, painstaking research.’’ Brander Matthews, a founding member and president of the...