From Franklin to Lowell

PMLA ◽  
1899 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-239
Author(s):  
C. H. Grandgent
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Phonetic Transcription ◽  
Noah Webster

This passage from Addison, reproduced, in a slightly modified version of the American Dialect Society's alphabet, from a phonetic transcription by Benjamin Franklin himself, may be taken as a sample of Franklin's pronunciation. Angel was more commonly ændgel in the 18th century, and chamber, danger had the same vowel; êndƌel, tʃêmbǝr, dêudƌǝr, according to Noah Webster, were less elegant. The use of ði before consonants as well as vowels is noteworthy, and may be due to carelessness. For tû = to, Franklin also said tō. Bɐzǝm was perfectly good in his day.

Leaves

Paid ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney Anne Trettien
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Paper Currency ◽  
Material Substance ◽  
Early 18Th Century

In the early 18th century, the American colonials were awash with both paper currency and its twin: counterfeit bills. Benjamin Franklin became a proponent of using leafs prints in currency as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Duplicating a leaf print is difficult not just because the resulting patterns are so complex, but because the original leaf is destroyed in the process. Franklin’s innovation, then, is that he shifts the burden of counterfeiting from copying the content of a note to discerning and iterating the process of its reproduction—even as that very process prevents the thing, the leaf, from ever being reproduced in the same way again. In this, we can see a kind of environmental nationalism: authority inheres not in the material substance of the paper itself but rather in the land that prints it and it printed upon it.

Joseph Priestley, oxygen, and the Enlightenment

2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (2) ◽  
pp. L111-L119 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. West
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Respiratory Physiology ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
True Nature ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Joseph Priestley

Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) was the first person to report the discovery of oxygen and describe some of its extraordinary properties. As such he merits a special place in the history of respiratory physiology. In addition his descriptions in elegant 18th-century English were particularly arresting, and rereading them never fails to give a special pleasure. The gas was actually first prepared by Scheele (1742–1786) but his report was delayed. Lavoisier (1743–1794) repeated Priestley's initial experiment and went on to describe the true nature of oxygen that had eluded Priestley, who never abandoned the erroneous phlogiston theory. In addition to oxygen, Priestley isolated and characterized seven other gases. However, most of his writings were in theology because he was a conscientious clergyman all his life. Priestley was a product of the Enlightenment and argued that all beliefs should be able to stand the scientific scrutiny of experimental investigations. As a result his extreme liberal views were severely criticized by the established Church of England. In addition he was a supporter of both the French and American Revolutions. Ultimately his political and religious attitudes provoked a riot during which his home and his scientific equipment were destroyed. He therefore emigrated to America in 1794 where his friends included Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. He settled in Northumberland, Pennsylvania although his scientific work never recovered from his forced departure. But the descriptions of his experiments with oxygen will always remain a high point in the history of respiratory physiology.

English Spelling Variation and Change in Newspapers in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

English Today ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghou Liu ◽  
Ye Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
The United States ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Early American ◽  
Spelling Variation ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
British System ◽  
Noah Webster ◽  
English Spelling

English spelling has a reputation for being notoriously difficult to learn, whether for native speakers of English or for those who learn it as an additional language. An additional problem for EFL learners is that there are two somewhat different systems to choose between: the British system and the American one. As Bondesen (2004: 4) points out, ‘although the two spelling systems are much more similar than they are different, there is variation between them.’ (For surveys of some of the main differences see Trudgill & Hannah, 1994; Carney, 1997.) The spelling discrepancies between the two varieties are systematic, and originate in large part from American spelling reform as a symbol of ‘linguistic independence’ (Knowles, 1997), and from the work of early American linguists such as Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster. The aim of this article is to investigate the spelling preferences of English users in a few regions outside Britain and the United States, and to establish whether any clear patterns of regional variation are discernible.

scholarly journals Feasibility of Storing Lightning Energy Being Discharged through a Lightning Arrester by a Capacitor

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 46-49
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Lines ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Protective Devices ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Real Phenomenon

Lightning phenomenon over the years has been subject of debate of scientists as well as that of people. For some, it is the manifestation of their deities, and, for others it is nothing but a simple display of colors along with fearsome sounds with a destructive power. We know by the work of scientists like Benjamin Franklin (18th century) that it was not what we used to think, and, has some explanations. We now, have understood how the clouds get charged, and how they, in turn, induce charges on the surface of the earth below them. The different types of strokes were also better understood along the way. With the grasp of the real phenomenon, scientists worked out its multiple threats to transmission lines, and therefore, came up with some protective devices to avoid the total catastrophe that could occur should these strokes be left without any preventive measures. Hence, many protective devices came to life with special applications; one of which the lightning arrester. The latter one helps a lot, especially nearby substations by grounding lightning induced energy. We also know that scientists have been discussing the possibility of capturing lightning energy, and, use it to compensate the deficit in energy demand from the world needs in terms of energy. We are using here a capacitor-lightning arrester combination to try and store the lightning-induced energy in transmission lines. We shall carry out this work by making use of the ability of the capacitor while subjected to a surge, and then, find out about the energy it can store by getting charged up. we shall also make use of SmartDraw software for our designs and models. The aim here is to target how we could possibly break the grounds in the mastering of the ever-lost lightning energy to ground.

By ‘the light of his own mind’: The story of James Ferguson, astronomer

2000 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Rothman
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Samuel Johnson ◽  
The Self ◽  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Scientific Instruments ◽  
Instrument Maker ◽  
George Iii

James Ferguson, the self-taught astronomer, scientific instrument maker, author and lecturer was a remarkable 18th century figure. This paper traces his life from humble origins as a shepherd boy in Banffshire, Scotland. There he observed the stars and planets by night and conjectured on the mechanics of the heavens. He taught himself to make and repair clocks and his outstanding talent as a portraitist enabled him to earn a living while he invented scientific instruments. He eventually came to London where he continued to design instruments and globes and commenced his career as lecturer and author. His later years as an esteemed recipient of a royal pension from King George III brought him Fellowship of the Royal Society with extraordinary provisions, and contact with Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Johnson and many other leading figures of his day.

Reason and Power in Benjamin Franklin's Political Thought

1953 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 1092-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Stourzh
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual History ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Age Of Reason ◽  
History Of ◽  
Age Of Enlightenment ◽  
Heaven And Earth ◽  
Unanimous Agreement

Perhaps no period of modern history has been more a victim of generalization than the Age of Enlightenment. The worship of reason and progress and belief in the essential goodness and perfectibility of human nature are most commonly associated with the 18th century climate of opinion. Many of the stereotypes which have been applied to it have automatically been transferred to Benjamin Franklin. Already to contemporaries of his old age, Franklin seemed the very personification of the Age of Reason. Condorcet, who had known Franklin personally, summed up his description of Franklin's political career as follows: “In a word, his politics were those of a man who believed in the power of reason and the reality of virtue.” In Germany, an admirer was even more enthusiastic: “Reason and virtue, made possible through reason alone, consequently again reason and nothing but reason, is the magic with which Benjamin Franklin conquered heaven and earth.” This is also the judgment of posterity. F. L. Mott and Chester E. Jorgensen, who have so far presented the most acute analysis of Franklin's thought and its relationship to the intellectual history of his time, do not hesitate to call him “the completest colonial representative” of the Age of Enlightenment. Unanimous agreement seems to exist that Franklin was “in tune with his time.”

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