Canadians: do you spell things the American or British way?

[Yoggy]

Here's another thread that may belong in "Chit Chat", but it does apply only to Canadians, so here it is. When you spell certain words such as colour, centre, organise, or aluminium, do you generally adopt the American or British spelling? I've noticed more and more Canadians using the American spelling these days. I spell most words the British way, but words like jail/gaol, or airplane/aeroplane, I tend to spell the American way. Also, I pronounce "aluminium" the American way but spell it the British way. I just say there's a silent "i" :p .

[Tigerlily]

It depends on the word. I write neighbour, favour, flavour, savour, etc but then I go and write color. :p

[Yoggy]

LOL! What about "centre"? I also found out recently that Americans spell "cheque" as "check". That surprised me, as I had never really noticed another way to spell "cheque". Oh and my roommate (who's from Georgia) said that she's seen the word "toque" spelled "tuke" in the States :eek:

[Tigerlily]

Oh yeah! I use center for things like, "Draw a line in the center of the page" but I use centre for things like "The Sports Centre"...Weird?

I only use cheque!

And I didn't even know they knew what toque was!

What about meter/metre? I use either one, depends.

[Yoggy]

It's true, most Americans don't know what toques are. My friend saw it spelled like "tuke" in Maine or somewhere else near the border where many people use the word.

[xwitchymagicx]

I'm English and live in England obviously and I sometimes spell things the american way. I have to be careful as the teachers wouldn't be too happy. I guess i'm picking up on it on message boards or something. :p

[Tigerlily]

Tsk, tsk.

[xwitchymagicx]

I'm thinking I spend way too much time on the internet! :o

[Tigerlily]

*in an annoying, grouchy motherly voice* Get offline and go do your homework!

[xwitchymagicx]

I'd rather go to bed i think homework is for those 3am i can't sleep times. ;)

[rach71]

This thread is so funny!! I tend to spell things the Canadian way (colour, favour, cheque of course), but some things I am super Americanized. I took a test last week and you had to say what words were spelled incorrectly, so I said that odour was incorrect b/c of my Americanized 'odor' thinking (I feel like a bad Canadian after that one).

And I didn't think americans knew what a toque was either, I've never met any who've known what it is!

I feel like as I get older and am out of school longer and longer (thus not really writing anything), I become much more Americanized. Maybe I shouldn't have withdrawn from grad school last September!!

[Yoggy]

The Canadian spelling of "Americanized" is "Americanised" :D

Here's (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm) an interesting web page about some other differences in spelling. I know I spell "encyclopedia" the American way, but I didn't realise there was another way to spell "medieval"!

[rach71]

OMG, I spelled it wrong :o , I am sooooooo bad!!!!

OK, I'm going to check out that link now!

[rach71]

skilful is 1 l? I thought it was skillful; and the ze, se, I'm definitely American on. OK, I got manoeuvre wrong on that english test too!!! banque? OK, that's it, I'm not reading anymore right now, I feel like a really bad Canadian.

[Tigerlily]

The Canadian spelling of "Americanized" is "Americanised" :D

Here's (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm) an interesting web page about some other differences in spelling. I know I spell "encyclopedia" the American way, but I didn't realise there was another way to spell "medieval"!

I always used "s" and my English teacher last year always marked my papers wrong. :(

[Geoff]

OMG, I spelled it wrong :o , I am sooooooo bad!!!!



Re your avatar. Shouldn't it be 'leaves,' not 'leafs' :)

(I'm a saucy pedantic wretch)

[rach71]

(I'm a saucy pedantic wretch)

I can guess what that means but huh?

[Geoff]

It's a quote from John Donne, the famous Australian poet, from his poem called, I think The Sun Rising:

Busy old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us ?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run ?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school-boys and sour prentices,

[luvzsunshine]

Okay, I'm curious. What is toque or "tuke" as we American's spell it?

[FR]

It seems Canadians and Europeans spell Totalling as Totaling, whereas here in the USA, I mostly see it as Totalling.

[Tigerlily]

In both Canada and the US, we have the grade system to rank school years. But I noticed Americans generally say "Fifth Grade" while a Canadian would usually say "Grade Five". Anyone notice that?

[Yoggy]

LOL Tigerlily, yes! I noticed it on TV shows a lot as a kid, and now that I live in the States, I've never heard anyone say "grade five", etc., they always say "fifth grade". I've even started doing it too, because people here look at me weird if I say it the Canadian way!

[Tigerlily]

Yeah! I ALWAYS thought it was my faulty Maritimer English dialect whenever I said "Grade Five" or something because in books and TV, they say it the American way. Then yesterday I was reading an article in a women's magazine about kids dropping out...and they said "Grade Ten", "Grade 7", etc.

[xwitchymagicx]

skilful is 1 l? I thought it was skillful

It looks a little strange with one "l" :confused:

I've never seen anyone spell "Bank" "banque"

[Tigerlily]

Yeah, me neither. Banque is bank in French.