When the Oxford English Dictionary announced in 2004 that it was entering "bootylicious" into its pages, there was not much of a protest. It actually seemed funny and, more or less, harmless.

A half-century ago, when G. & C. Merriam Co. announced its new dictionary, Webster's Third, there was an incredible outcry. It became known as "the permissive dictionary" and provoked what was probably the greatest language controversy in American history...