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British spelling

Keith

Keith

Well-Known Member
I'm American but I still use British spellings for certain words.

sceptre
sepulchre
sabre
theatre (for drama, broadway, etc)
plough (for the horsedrawn variety)
axe (for the weapon)
judgement (this is how I've always spelled it)
acknowledgement
abridgement
amphitheatre (I also pronounce the PH like an F)

Incidentally, I prefer glamor over glamour, even though it has nothing to do with -our vs. -or.
 
I recall being chastised by a high school teacher for doing so. Made sure not to do it again in higher education even though some of my professors were British. :p
 
I'm probably not consistent in this at all, I use either interchangeably. But in my defense, I'm writing in English without a specific "geographic" location, since I'm not a native speaker, heh..
 
I must admit, I sometimes use American spellings just to get around the automatic spell-checker that Firefox has. The squiggly red line bothers me and makes me think I'm spelling something wrong even though I kind of know it's the correct British spelling, so I substitute it for the American spelling just to be sure that it's at least correct in one version of the language ;)
 
British vs American spelling: destroyer of friendships & sanity.

It's funnier when my very British friends use American words like "liquor" and "faucet" without realising. And then I have to question them: "don't you mean alcohol? Or a tap? (if that's what it is?)"

Strange how so many words change when we speak the same language!
 
Keith said:
sepulchre
sabre
plough (for the horsedrawn variety)
axe (for the weapon)
judgement (this is how I've always spelled it)
acknowledgement
abridgement
amphitheatre (I also pronounce the PH like an F)
Click to expand...

Of the words you listed, these above - I didn't even know you COULD spell them another way. :p Although this is a topic I come across a lot - I grew up in Britain, moved to America, and am now enrolled in a college where I constantly have to balance doing what feels natural to me with what is expected.

I prefer some of the American ways to some of the British ways, but still prefer some of the British ways.

Example:

I prefer the British way of writing the number-date. day/month/year makes more sense to me (14th of February, 2014).

However,

I prefer the American way of labeling floors. The first floor is the first floor you come to - that makes sense. To go upstairs TO the first floor seems a little odd.



I refuse to discuss the pronunciation of the word "pecan" with anybody - it's caused more fights in my presence than anything else ever.
 
grapesicles said:
Strange how so many words change when we speak the same language!
Click to expand...

Yeah. I found that out while looking at furniture recently. I asked the salesperson about a chifferobe and she didn't have a clue as to what that was. When I said, "An armoire" she sighed and said, "Ohhhhh!" :p
 
Canadian chiming in here... I never knew that Americans didn't pronounce the "ph" in amphitheatre as an "f"!

Don't think I've ever heard one speak the word before; that might be why.
 
Rudy Schmidt said:
Of the words you listed, these above - I didn't even know you COULD spell them another way. :p Although this is a topic I come across a lot - I grew up in Britain, moved to America, and am now enrolled in a college where I constantly have to balance doing what feels natural to me with what is expected.

I prefer some of the American ways to some of the British ways, but still prefer some of the British ways.

Example:

I prefer the British way of writing the number-date. day/month/year makes more sense to me (14th of February, 2014).

However,

I prefer the American way of labeling floors. The first floor is the first floor you come to - that makes sense. To go upstairs TO the first floor seems a little odd.



I refuse to discuss the pronunciation of the word "pecan" with anybody - it's caused more fights in my presence than anything else ever.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Americans write:

sepulcher
saber
theater
plow
judgment
abridgment
acknowledgment
amphitheater (I've heard it as amp-ih-theater)

Also, of course:

color
flavor
favor
valor
adz
 
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Keith said:
I'm American but I still use British spellings for certain words.

sceptre
sepulchre
sabre
theatre (for drama, broadway, etc)
plough (for the horsedrawn variety)
axe (for the weapon)
judgement (this is how I've always spelled it)
acknowledgement
abridgement
amphitheatre (I also pronounce the PH like an F)

Incidentally, I prefer glamor over glamour, even though it has nothing to do with -our vs. -or.
Click to expand...
With many of these words I haven't been aware of spellings other than the ways you are spelling them here.
 
Ste11aeres said:
With many of these words I haven't been aware of spellings other than the ways you are spelling them here.
Click to expand...
Actually, I think I've been using the different spelling interchangeably, without realizing it.
this explains why the spell check thing has been giving me a hard time lately.
 
Lets just say after playing the britsih campaigns of COD and other games i noticed myself saying Bloody this and that. I am part British but i think that's true for a lot of us.
 
Rudy Schmidt said:
I refuse to discuss the pronunciation of the word "pecan" with anybody - it's caused more fights in my presence than anything else ever.
Click to expand...

I had to work on that one to get away from how my regional dialect says it. :p

Luckily the word seldom comes up...there are other kinds of pies I prefer. So how do the Brits say "pecan"?

pecan.jpg
 
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Keith said:
So I'm supposed to say pee-Kahn? I've always said p'can.
Click to expand...

Well I wouldn't sweat it. Especially if you look up how many states grow pecans to begin with. In that respect no region has any monopoly on how to say "pecan". )

That's "pee-can" y'all. :p
 
American spellings are always right because Americans are the only people who know how to speak the One True English. Agree with us or our bloated military will come bomb you.
 
I tend to spell certain words the way the British does too. And since I have a spell checker I'm constantly reminded of these spellings and sometimes the spell checker automatically corrects them. Very annoying because I like the British versions better and besides this is what I had been use to all of my life until the spell checker on my computer came along.
 
Judge said:
So how do the Brits say "pecan"?
Click to expand...
I say "pee-can" but that's "can" as in "I can do that" not "I can do that" or "can of beer" - also seems like a really silly word when it's written out as "pee-can".

can of pee. and now that makes me think of the word "canopy". I'm probably going to end up unintentionally calling pecans canopies in front of some complete strangers next time the opportunity arises.
 
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