I hope we let everyone do as they wish, as long as texts remain internally consistent, i.e., no mixing of UK and US spelling conventions in a single document. Similar rules should apply to e.g. Portuguese as written in Portugal and basically also in the so-called PALOP countries (the African countries that have Portuguese as an official language) and the Brazilian variety of Portuguese.
Jan
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>However, should we choose between American and British spelling or let everyone do as they wish?
-- Stephen Downes ~ Research Officer ~ National Research Council Canada http://www.downes.ca ~ ste...@downes.ca __\|/__ Free Learning
For those who don't know, Canadian spelling is distinct from both
American and British spelling (and no, British spelling is *not* what is
taught in Canadian schools).
For example, Canadian spelling adopts British spelling in some cases:
- colour
- honour
- flavour
- metre
- litre
- lable
but American spelling in others
- tire
- curb
- airplane
- emphasize
- jail
As you can see, there is a logic in Canadian spelling. It preserves the
subtlties of the English language (eg., the distinction betweek 'o' and
'ou', or the distinction between 're' and 'er') but generally dispenses
with some of the offbeat letter combinations that populate English
spelling (gaol, kerb, tyre, aero...).
My main reference is 'Editing Canadian English' -
http://www.editors.ca/resources/eac_publications/ece.html
Also, the CP stylebook:
http://www.thecanadianpress.com/books.aspx?id=182&terms=style
but American spelling in others
- tire
- curb
- airplane
- emphasize
- jail
As you can see, there is a logic in Canadian spelling. It preserves the
subtlties of the English language (eg., the distinction betweek 'o' and
'ou', or the distinction between 're' and 'er') but generally dispenses
with some of the offbeat letter combinations that populate English
spelling (gaol, kerb, tyre, aero...).