British spellings in the US (or why color/colour?)

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-02-06 02:08am

This has come up in a few other threads and I was curious:

Why do some members, specifically Americans living in the US, choose to use the British spellings of words?

If you do use "colour" rather than "color", do you also use British words in place of American words, like crisps instead of chips? post instead of mail? ring instead of phone?

edit: subject line

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-02-06 02:19am

I dont use colour but I use Elven instead of Elfin and one or two others. I belive it is because of role playing experience when I was young. Most fantasy role playing games borrow from Tolkein which would use British spellings.

Cyborg Stan · Post by **Cyborg Stan** » 2003-02-06 02:21am

A few years back I was active in the an RP/Story thing for a bit. One of my characters was a six-legged crustean master spy with a british accent. I probably picked it up from there.

Whether or not I choose a certain spelling or another depends on my mood, sometimes the mental rhythm for lack of a better term, seems to go better with the British spelling. The other times it's simply I can't spell worth a damn.

I usually don't use British phrases in place of American phrases, unless if you count 'Bloody Hell', which I say mentally all the time, sometimes with a mental taste/twist that implies British-ness.

Cal Wright · Post by **Cal Wright** » 2003-02-06 02:26am

Well, I learned sabre, however it runs contradictory to how all the other words are spelled. Fuck it. Now the DG uses HonoUr instead of honor. So I use HonoUr to show Unity. heh. like that one eh.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-02-06 02:36am

Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded

. But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-02-06 02:37am

I use European spellings because I like how they look, especially colour and programme.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-02-06 02:38am

JediNeophyte wrote:Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded . But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.

I didnt know axe was British. Wow, you learn something everyday. And I agree on the Al comment. The British also say "inventory" kinda funny.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-02-06 02:42am

TrailerParkJawa wrote:
JediNeophyte wrote:Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded . But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.
I didnt know axe was British. Wow, you learn something everyday. And I agree on the Al comment. The British also say "inventory" kinda funny.

Same with lieutenant. I've heard it pronounced "lef-ten-ant". WTF!? How do you get "lef" out of "lieu"? Of course, we do use "colonel", so I shouldn't complain here.

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-02-06 02:56am

TrailerParkJawa wrote:I didnt know axe was British. Wow, you learn something everyday...

That makes two of us; I use axe as well

For the record, there is a southern word I can't seem to get out of my vocabulary: acrossed

As in, "The chicken went acrossed the road."

Interestingly, when I'm in the South, people say I talk like a Yank, but when I'm in NYC or MN, people say I have a cute southern twang. Must be my Midwestern 'accent'

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2003-02-06 06:31am

I spell it British, because I learned it that way, and I like the look.
And besides, it goes well with my British accent, so...

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-02-06 06:41am

Something about tanks and their sci-fi equivilents that causes my brain to think "Armour"

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-02-06 06:52am

I do it because:

-I am not lazy like the supposed press company that took these letters out.

-International documents in science or politics or finance whatever use this spelling system of UK English, except America (even Japan who usually go US do it).

-I am British.

Having done 2 years of English Language at college I can see all the differences from the use of lift in Britain to Elevator in American.

Some spelling examples that piss me off are armor, feces, esophagus and color.

Most instances it is a removal of a "u" or "e" or "a", there are different words used too as stated such as highway instead of motorway, half hour instead of half-an-hour and the annoying date which needlessly complicates matters. 9/11/01 instead of 11/9/01. Also the use of "z" in the US version is actually Old English and Middle English, in the UK using a "z" or "s" is acceptable e.g. Enterprize or Enterprise.

Here are some other examples, note that pronunciation is really a part of any dialect, it's the spelling and format that annoys me.

http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~jphb/american.html

And there is only English, saying British English or American English is retarded since they are simply dialects of the same language, not separate languages.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-02-06 06:52am

The Yosemite Bear wrote:Something about tanks and their sci-fi equivilents that causes my brain to think "Armour"

What's wrong with armour?

Yes, you would say armor, but what's so strange about it?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-02-06 06:53am

Dahak wrote:I spell it British, because I learned it that way, and I like the look.
And besides, it goes well with my British accent, so...

HEATHEN!

*Whacks Hyperion with a copy of the OED*

Thou hast forsaken thy intellect! There is NO British accent!

Oh forgot to add, some spellings are used in different situations. Spanky used programme, now this is the UK spelling which is used in the UK for a TV programme or a finance programme etc. But a computer version is a program, spelt the US way. Same goes for disc and disk. A CD is a compact disc. A hard drive is a hard disk. It's actually useful to put context into the words so you know what you're dealing with.

Heh, as for pronunciations that bug me (other than aloooominum), I hat how it's said ant-eye, and not ante for anti-matter or anti-clockwise (Americans usually say counter-clockwise). But I'm notr nitpicking anymore, pronunciation is a matter of upbringing really.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-02-06 06:58am

Boba Fett wrote:
The Yosemite Bear wrote:Something about tanks and their sci-fi equivilents that causes my brain to think "Armour"
What's wrong with armour?

Yes, you would say armor, but what's so strange about it?

nothings wrong with it, it's just a wierd bit of conditioning.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-02-06 07:02am

The Yosemite Bear wrote:
Boba Fett wrote:
The Yosemite Bear wrote:Something about tanks and their sci-fi equivilents that causes my brain to think "Armour"
What's wrong with armour?

Yes, you would say armor, but what's so strange about it?
nothings wrong with it, it's just a wierd bit of conditioning.

Weird, not wierd.

I always thought that was the spelling until I noticed it was one of the most commonly misspelt words on the Net.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-02-06 08:32am

I have to say I rather dislike Americans using British spelling, because in nearly all cases of their doing it, it's an affectation. That smacks of pretense. It's phony.

As to the spelling itself, I prefer American spelling, because it's closer to the phonetic pronunciation of the word. That makes it both simpler, and more logical. English orthography is rather complicated; anything which simplifies it is a good thing.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-02-06 08:35am

JediNeophyte wrote:Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded . But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.

Actually its spelt aluminium.
Like all the other (similarly named) elements, it ends in 'ium'
That's why the English pronounce it the way they do: Because there's a fucking I in it!

Why don't you say 'Uranum'; 'Helum' or 'Magnesum'?

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-02-06 08:39am

innerbrat wrote:
JediNeophyte wrote:Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded . But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.
Actually its spelt aluminium.
Like all the other (similarly named) elements, it ends in 'ium'
That's why the English pronounce it the way they do: Because there's a fucking I in it!

Why don't you say 'Uranum'; 'Helum' or 'Magnesum'?

Yes...that's true!

Point at innerbrat!

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-02-06 08:40am

innerbrat wrote:
JediNeophyte wrote:Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded . But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.
Actually its spelt aluminium.
Like all the other (similarly named) elements, it ends in 'ium'
That's why the English pronounce it the way they do: Because there's a fucking I in it!

Why don't you say 'Uranum'; 'Helum' or 'Magnesum'?

British spelling does put an extra i in it; American spelling does not. This makes either pronunciation correct, depending on your usage.

And BTW, not all the other elements ending in -um have that i. Platinum, for example, or tantalum, molybdenum, etc.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-02-06 08:46am

Perinquus wrote:
innerbrat wrote:
JediNeophyte wrote:Only British spelling I use is "axe", because "ax" is retarded . But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "al-yoo-min-ee-um". Its aluminum people, sheesh.
Actually its spelt aluminium.
Like all the other (similarly named) elements, it ends in 'ium'
That's why the English pronounce it the way they do: Because there's a fucking I in it!

Why don't you say 'Uranum'; 'Helum' or 'Magnesum'?
British spelling does put an extra i in it; American spelling does not. This makes either pronunciation correct, depending on your usage.

Every other language put an "extra" "i" in aluminium....

It's like when a man is driving his car on the highway and the radio say:

"Attention folks a retard is driving his car on the wrong side on the highway!"

The man shakes his head...

"Just one? I see at least 50..."

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-02-06 08:47am

Boba Fett wrote:
Perinquus wrote:
innerbrat wrote: Actually its spelt aluminium.
Like all the other (similarly named) elements, it ends in 'ium'
That's why the English pronounce it the way they do: Because there's a fucking I in it!

Why don't you say 'Uranum'; 'Helum' or 'Magnesum'?
British spelling does put an extra i in it; American spelling does not. This makes either pronunciation correct, depending on your usage.
Every other language put an "extra" "i" in aluminium....

It's like when a man is driving his car on the highway and the radio say:

"Attention folks a retard is driving his car on the wrong side on the highway!"

The man shakes his head...

"Just one? I see at least 50..."

Is that an appeal to popularity I see?

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-02-06 08:55am

Perinquus wrote:
Boba Fett wrote:
Perinquus wrote: British spelling does put an extra i in it; American spelling does not. This makes either pronunciation correct, depending on your usage.
Every other language put an "extra" "i" in aluminium....

It's like when a man is driving his car on the highway and the radio say:

"Attention folks a retard is driving his car on the wrong side on the highway!"

The man shakes his head...

"Just one? I see at least 50..."
Is that an appeal to popularity I see?

It's an appeal to standard practice. Element names end in ium. What makes aluminium so special? Never, EVER seen it spelt without the second i.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-02-06 09:03am

innerbrat wrote: It's an appeal to standard practice. Element names end in ium. What makes aluminium so special?.

Not all of them. Did you overlook the examples I provided you of others that do not? Platinum, molybdenum, tantalum are three I can think of off the top of my head. There may well be others I'm forgetting.

innerbrat wrote: It's Never, EVER seen it spelt without the second i.

Since it's unlikely that you've read exclusively non-American authors all your life, I'd suggest you probably have, in fact, seen it spelled "aluminum" without noticing it, because that's how it's spelled over here. Check your dictionary. The Oxford English dictionary will no doubt spell it with the extra i, being a British dictionary. Webster's, being American, spells it without. I just checked my unabridged version to be sure - yep; aluminum. That's how I've always seen Americans spell it.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-02-06 09:26am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:9/11/01 instead of 11/9/01.

Um, I understand what you mean and I agree, but if you want to show a point about dates it's always a good idea to use a day number above 12 (because in both systems both dates you gave are valid, though different)

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British spellings in the US (or why color/colour?)

British spellings in the US (or why color/colour?)

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