How do Americans feel about UK spelling?

[crich70]

It can cause one to wonder too. I mean in the Sherlock Holmes stories for example Holmes and Watson live on the 1st floor though to reach their rooms a visitor has to walk up a flight of stairs. That's because their 1st floor is the same as the 2nd floor in apt. buildings over here in the U.S. Presumably public areas of 221B as well as Mrs. Hudson's own quarters were on the ground floor (which would be our 1st floor over here). lol.

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

Due to a most unfortunate upbringing, I speak "Pittsburgh English". I've spent many hours in accent improvement classes trying to shake its horrors. I have one big hurdle left (my inability to pronounce words like "dawn" and "talk" correctly). It's embarrassing when even non-native English speakers ask me "Where the hell are you from?"

So I sympathize. I've I've learned to adapt to Britishisms in books and they don't really bother me, unless they're used inconsistently.

One thing that drives me crazy is when British characters in books don't speak British. E.g. if they say "sidewalk" instead of "pavement." Gah.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

One thing that drives me crazy is when British characters in books don't speak British. E.g. if they say "sidewalk" instead of "pavement." Gah.

I was QUITE happy in my ignorance of this difference. But now, I suspect this will weigh heavily on my soul for the rest of my life. And I'm quite certain I will now see this inappropriate usage everywhere. Good thing I'm kind of old, maybe senility will set in before it does too much damage to my world. . .

[steven1979]

I'm a Canadian who went to a US college. Canadian spelling is a mix of American and British, and at times both spellings are acceptable, for instance energise and energize. I never felt comfortable spelling colour without the U, however when I read I'm just used to seeing both spellings, so it doesn't bother me.

[Falcao]

My post was about the regularity of written Spanish.

About spoken Spanish, there are zillion of accents. However, broadly speaking, Spanish accents can be divided in two groups: European (Spain) and Latin American. Thus, American TV shows are dubbed twice, a version for Spain and another for Latin America. AFAIK, many Latin American versions are dubbed in Mexico City or in Miami, either with Mexican actors or with actors who mimic Central Mexican accent.

I used to think that this Central Mexican accent was used because it's kind of "neuter" (if a neuter accent can exist). But maybe the reason are more of the economic sort. Indeed, Mexico is a big exporter of movies and soap-operas to other Spanish-speaking countries.

I don't know if that's influencing how other people speak. I should confess that I've never been outside North America.

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Although, my it is my understanding that there is a significant difference in verbal usage. I recall reading a year or two ago, that Hispanic Television performers, world wide, have to learn to adopt a Mexican accent and speech patterns if they want to work regularly in Spanish Language Television. That it is even affecting how people speak on TV in Spain itself, not to mention Puerto Rico, South America, and South Florida.

From the Article, I gathered that the combination of Mexico being the most populous Hispanic country, being next to the USA, whose Mexican population now overwhelms the Puerto Rican and Cuban-American populations and creates a cultural power center that forces Mexican cultural and lingusitic norms on other production centers in order to sell content to the Mexican media conglomerates.

The article seemed to imply a sort of Mexican cultural imperialism, and it felt weird to this good ol' Anglo-American boy not to be pointed out as the bad guy. I had to read the New York Times just to get my bearings back!

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by crich70

It can cause one to wonder too. I mean in the Sherlock Holmes stories for example Holmes and Watson live on the 1st floor though to reach their rooms a visitor has to walk up a flight of stairs. That's because their 1st floor is the same as the 2nd floor in apt. buildings over here in the U.S. Presumably public areas of 221B as well as Mrs. Hudson's own quarters were on the ground floor (which would be our 1st floor over here). lol.

I've been pulling my hair out over this exact thing in recent weeks. I'm writing books set in London andwhen I do the floors correctly, editors in the US try to 'fix' the errors.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by nomesque

'Slept' is the only one I can think of that - as far as I know - is in common usage everywhere. I don't think I've ever read, 'she sleeped and dreamed' ...

felt
knelt
burnt
swept
wept

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by Falcao

My post was about the regularity of written Spanish.

About spoken Spanish, there are zillion of accents. However, broadly speaking, Spanish accents can be divided in two groups: European (Spain) and Latin American. Thus, American TV shows are dubbed twice, a version for Spain and another for Latin America. AFAIK, many Latin American versions are dubbed in Mexico City or in Miami, either with Mexican actors or with actors who mimic Central Mexican accent.

I used to think that this Central Mexican accent was used because it's kind of "neuter" (if a neuter accent can exist). But maybe the reason are more of the economic sort. Indeed, Mexico is a big exporter of movies and soap-operas to other Spanish-speaking countries.

I don't know if that's influencing how other people speak. I should confess that I've never been outside North America.

Falcao, can I ask a politically incorrect question regarding the hispanic-American communities? Is there cultural tension between Cuban Americans and Mexican-Americans? The reason I ask, is, I worked in S. Florida for a time, and many of the Cuban-Americans I encountered, seemed. . . dismissive or patronizing towards Mexicans. Like maybe they were somehow less sophisiticated than Cubans.

I never could tell if that is how they truely thought, or if they were being patronizing towards me by assuming that is how I thought. Frankly, I don't know which would be worse!

[Falcao]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Falcao, can I ask a politically incorrect question regarding the hispanic-American communities? Is there cultural tension between Cuban Americans and Mexican-Americans?

First, I must say that I'm Mexican and I live in Mexico, so I don't have first-person knowledge about Hispanic-American communities. Now, in the case of southern Florida, I have a sister living there and I have been there 2 or 3 times. The stereotype I have been told is that Cubans feel superior (i.e. more educated) than other Hispanics. I don't know if that feeling is true or not, but one needs to take in account that many Cuban migrants are (or were) high- and middle-class, while Mexican migrants tend to be poor. One reason is that Cubans migrate due political reasons, while Mexicans migrate due economical reasons.

[crich70]

You can at least enjoy knowing that you are in good company doreenjoy. When J.R.R. Tolkien was writing "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of The Rings" and wrote things like 'dwarves' his editors tried to change it to 'dwarfs' etc.
Even editors aren't perfect.

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

I've been pulling my hair out over this exact thing in recent weeks. I'm writing books set in London andwhen I do the floors correctly, editors in the US try to 'fix' the errors.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

I've been pulling my hair out over this exact thing in recent weeks. I'm writing books set in London andwhen I do the floors correctly, editors in the US try to 'fix' the errors.

I know how you feel (rant alert). My mailing address is a private mail service and USPS regulations require the first line be the box number prefaced by the initials PMB (for Private Mail Box) followed by the street address which is a strip mall that has suite numbers as well as the street address. All are essential for delivery yet vendors and carriers are obsessed with "correcting" my address, changing the order, changing the PMB to POB or PO Box (which ensures the USPS will not deliver since they have a childish attitude towards perceived competitors, never mind that the USPS does not offer the services private mail services offer so they are not in direct competition), deleting the street address because USPS postal boxes do not require street addresses, deleting the suite number because the actual shipping software fiels is to short even though the field in the software I filled out online was long enough (piss poor web design), and various web design blunders I won't bore you with. Even if I specify in shipping directions to not make changes and why, more times than not, it happens anyway. Then they wonder why I go postal on them.

Ok, rant over. You are now being returned to your regularly scheduled thread.

[DMB]

I think the reason the simple past of "melt" is never spelt "melt" is because it is pronounced with two syllables. I don't think in general that verbs ending in "t" usually have the same form in the present and the past. I note the American use of "fit" as a past as well as a present, but that would be incorrect in England, where the past is always "fitted". As well as the examples given, the verb "lean" has a past "leant", which is pronounced "lent".

That reminds me of a common misspelling I see on the internet: "lead" instead of "led" as the past of "lead". Probably a confusion with the metal.

[Falbe Publishing]

I'm fine with UK spellings when I read. I actually enjoy thinking about the little variations in the written language, but I can be a little nerdy about words. I find it hard to imagine that someone, who was otherwise enjoying your writing, would be upset if someone "labours" instead of "labors." Some readers are even bright enough to know that regional spelling variations exist.

I suppose some people might think you spelled something wrong, but if they bother to look it up in a dictionary, they will likely see the spelling variations.

Actually, I've never been able to figure out why publishers would even go through the bother of changing UK and American spellings for regional editions. Would it kill an American kid to be exposed to a UK spelling when he or she is reading Harry Potter?

People in the UK have purchased my novels and I've never had a complaint about my American spellings. After all, I am an American. I also went to journalism school in California where British spellings and usages are religiously stamped out of writing just because out West you are pure Americans without any taint of the Old World upon you (like what happens to Easterners).

I suppose I'll stop before I upset every region of the English speaking world.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by DMB

I think the reason the simple past of "melt" is never spelt "melt" is because it is pronounced with two syllables. I don't think in general that verbs ending in "t" usually have the same form in the present and the past. I note the American use of "fit" as a past as well as a present, but that would be incorrect in England, where the past is always "fitted". As well as the examples given, the verb "lean" has a past "leant", which is pronounced "lent".

That reminds me of a common misspelling I see on the internet: "lead" instead of "led" as the past of "lead". Probably a confusion with the metal.

What dictionary are you using? According to a couple of mine, the past tense of lead (as in opposite of follow and pronounced leed) is lead (pronounced led). The word led doesn't even appear since LED (light emitting diode) is an abbreviation, not a word (they are older dictionaries).

[Falcao]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

What dictionary are you using? According to a couple of mine, the past tense of lead (as in opposite of follow and pronounced leed) is lead (pronounced led). The word led doesn't even appear since LED (light emitting diode) is an abbreviation, not a word (they are older dictionaries).

The Merriam-Webster online has "led" as the past of lead. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

What dictionary are you using? According to a couple of mine, the past tense of lead (as in opposite of follow and pronounced leed) is lead (pronounced led). The word led doesn't even appear since LED (light emitting diode) is an abbreviation, not a word (they are older dictionaries).

That's interesting. The past tense of "lead" is always "led" in British English.