American spellings of words

[Alan Medic]

It seems to me that spellcheckers are American orientated. I just sent an email with the word 'specialise' but the checker replaces the last s with an 'z' (maybe it's 'a z'). Does anyone care anymore if it's English or American English? Hot topic for a Sunday afternoon.

[Loz]

Most software (including MS stuff and Firefox) lets you set the spellcheck to British English (or even Australian, Canadian, etc).

Interestingly, -ize isn't necessarily not British English. The OED prefers the -ize suffix. It came up on an episode of Inspector Morse, once (who considered -ize correct as well).

[aquarius moon]

Years ago I used to 'ize' spell all my words because that's how they used to be spelt.

e.g. specialize, organize, realize etc.

Now it's an 's' instead and a 'z' isn"t recognis(z)ed anymore.

[Otta]

I care Alan, it's an irrational rage kinda thing.

[Jah Lush]

Americans can't spell.

[Robert Poste's Child]

It does matter. Always seems a failing to me that when you change your settings to UK, Microsoft product menus still say 'color'.

[Loz]

You want to try being a computer programmer - all libraries and commands involving colours force you to use 'color'. It's very annoying.

I have always refused to buy 'Persil Color' on the basis that they are too stupid to understand that it is spelt differently here.

[Robert Poste's Child]

I'd be on the Prozac in no time.

[randombloke]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

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> I'd be on the Prozac in no time.

Is it not Prosac?

:-)

[Jeremy]

Surely only a matter of time before American English takes over the English speaking world. Pride can only keep practicality at bay for so long.

Loz Wrote:

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> You want to try being a computer programmer

I always wondered what it must be like being a non-english speaking programmer. All keywords and library classes/methods being in a foreign language must put you at a disadvantage!

[El Pibe]

get somebody to wrap them up in your own language I guess. or you probably quite quickly pick those commonly used terms up is more likely.

[El Pibe]

or you just get your language version ;)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa290365(v=vs.71).aspx

[Robert Poste's Child]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Surely only a matter of time before American

> English takes over the English speaking world.

> Pride can only keep practicality at bay for so

> long.

A friend who did a TEFL course told me that most language schools abroad value speakers of American English over UK, apparently because it works better in an international business environment, though I think it must also be easier to learn due to the narrower vocabulary Americans tend to use and the way other accents have played into it.

Writing's on the wall, folks.

[Mick Mac]

It's thanks to the Americans that we can go abroad and most people speak "our" language. Otherwise English would just be like German....parochial :)

They probably consider us to be a little insignificant country in Europe that happens to also speak their language.

[Loz]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Surely only a matter of time before American English takes over the English speaking world.

> Pride can only keep practicality at bay for so long.

Most European second-language speakers I know want to learn the British version (or International English, as it's also known).

They still all end up with slight American accents, though.

[Jeremy]

El Pibe Wrote:

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> or you just get your language version ;)

That's just commands for the IDE. I think the universe would implode if there were regional versions of the dotNet API...

[El Pibe]

Can you imagine the geordie one?!?!

[OutOfFocus]

I get annoyed by American words. I thought a bathroomom was a room with a bath.

[Loz]

Bathroomom? Is that a cleaner version of a soccermom?

[Robert Poste's Child]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> It's thanks to the Americans that we can go abroad

> and most people speak "our" language.

Rewriting history? English is the Cheshire Cat grin of British colonialism. If the Dutch hadn't traded Manhattan for nutmegs, it could all have been very different. Je weet nooit.

[uncleglen]

'Fetus' is an abomination