Where can I buy ebook with canadian spelling?

bob123 · 10-30-2011, 11:10 AM

I am wondering if there is an ebook store that sells books with canadian spelling. Or a store that sells ebooks with UK spelling and allows canadians to buy them.
Thanks.

carpetmojo · 10-30-2011, 12:44 PM

So....... books with UK spelling ?

bob123 · 10-30-2011, 02:28 PM

Well... I would prefer UK spelling to amarican spelling. However despite common belief UK and Canadian spelling are not exactly the same. For example in UK spelling: tyre in canadian spelling: tire. But yes. UK and Canadian spelling are much closer than US and canadian spelling so if I could find a UK ebookstore that let Canadians buy from them that would be better.
I find it kind of interesting that all the ebooks I have bought from Kobo (who advertises an international bookstore) have used American spelling.

Quexos · 10-30-2011, 02:38 PM

Aren't you just splitting hairs ?
I thought Canadian English was closer to US English, don't tell me you don't say color or neighbor ?
And while we're at it, do you guys use kilometers or miles ? measure heat in C° or F° ? and are you 1.70m tall or 5'7" ?

bob123 · 10-30-2011, 02:50 PM

Your joking about that right?

JD Gumby · 10-30-2011, 02:57 PM

Our vocabulary and spelling tends to be USAian, except with -our instead of -or when appearing at the end of some words (as per UK spelling) and we tends to use Metric and Imperial/American mesurements on a case-by-case basis (though Metric's official). Really, there's nothing all that special about Canadian spelling and I can't imagine anyone sane getting worked up about it, 'cept maybe an English school teacher.

bob123 · 10-30-2011, 03:17 PM

Take at look at this site: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsiss...anAmerican.htm It looks to me like Canadian spelling is closer to UK spelling than American. And your forgetting about words like centre instead of center. Its just that with ebooks how hard would it be to change the spelling? It is not like I am asking the to get one factory to print books with more than one spelling. Computers could convert the spelling on an entire ebook in less than a second!

dwig · 10-30-2011, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob123

...Its just that with ebooks how hard would it be to change the spelling? ...

It's not that hard to change the spelling, but it does add to the effort (read: cost) of producing and distributing a work when you have different versions.

Personally, I find the idea of localizing the spelling based on the distribution region abhorrent, at least with respect to fictional works. If a book is "voiced" by a Brit (either first person narrative or 3rd person where the main character is British with the action taking place in Great Britain) I don't want them leaving their car in a "parking lot" and having it described as being old and the "color of moss". It should be left in a "car park" and be the "colour of moss". If it's a totally Canadian story the of course the spelling should be Canadian, but it should be Canadian in all English speaking markets.

speakingtohe · 10-30-2011, 03:58 PM

There are quite a few factors, such as marketing and proofreading multiple editions. Perhaps you should contact a Canadian publisher or two and ask them if they use Canadian spelling.

Of course with an ebook you could quickly change the spelling yourself, although centre/center is a little different. In Canadian English, centre is the noun, and center is the verb.

Quote:

http://www.grammarist.com/spelling/center-centre/

Helen

bob123 · 10-30-2011, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwig

It's not that hard to change the spelling, but it does add to the effort (read: cost) of producing and distributing a work when you have different versions.

Personally, I find the idea of localizing the spelling based on the distribution region abhorrent, at least with respect to fictional works. If a book is "voiced" by a Brit (either first person narrative or 3rd person where the main character is British with the action taking place in Great Britain) I don't want them leaving their car in a "parking lot" and having it described as being old and the "color of moss". It should be left in a "car park" and be the "colour of moss". If it's a totally Canadian story the of course the spelling should be Canadian, but it should be Canadian in all English speaking markets.

I find it hard to believe that changing the spelling would cost a significant amount. Particularly as there are UK ebookstores that have UK spelling.
I actually agree with you on your second point. I am fine with a book by an American set in America being in American English. What I truly have a problem with is books that are by British or Canadian Arthur's not set in America and STILL using American spelling!

taming · 10-30-2011, 04:35 PM

When I moved to Canada and took a job here that requires a lot of writing, I was very concerned about the spelling. I soon found out that people spell things in a variety of ways, and that US and Canadian variants were pretty much equally in use, except by the government. There are a few exceptions, for example, centre and cheque, but not many.

susan_cassidy · 10-30-2011, 05:27 PM

I've never heard of books having their spelling changed for different markets. If I buy a book by a UK author, I get UK spelling. If I buy a book by a US author, I get US spelling. Presumably, a Canadian author uses Canadian spelling.

The text of a book should never be changed by a publisher, as far as I'm concerned. I'm still upset that they changed the wording of "The Philosopher's Stone" to "The Sorcerer's Stone" for the first Harry Potter book, for the US market.

ATDrake · 10-30-2011, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

Presumably, a Canadian author uses Canadian spelling.

Unless they're published by a large US publisher, in which case all the extra "u"s and reversed "re"s and other such stuff tends to go away since the publisher can afford some copyeditor to ruthlessly root out and destroy all that confusing foreign orthography, no matter what the author may have originally written, as in the works of Tanya Huff (DAW/Penguin USA) and Robert J. Sawyer (Tor/Macmillan).

Even if the books are all set mostly around Toronto.

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

I've never heard of books having their spelling changed for different markets.

IIRC, the Harry Potter book you named above had not only its title changed for the US market, but also a substantial amount of its spelling and some of its Britishism slang expressions which they thought US readers wouldn't understand/be frustrated by. I think there was a thread on MR earlier including a few people wanting the UK print versions as ebooks and complaining because the then-only-available pirate versions seemed all made from a US edition weren't the "real" text as far as they were concerned.

JD Gumby · 10-30-2011, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob123

Take at look at this site: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsiss...anAmerican.htm It looks to me like Canadian spelling is closer to UK spelling than American. And your forgetting about words like centre instead of center.

'Centre' when part of a place name (the "Halifax Shopping Centre" mall, for example), 'center' for every other situation ("center field" or "center of town"), as far as normal usage goes.

At least here in the Maritimes. Maybe it's different in Quebec and the west. *shrug* Either way, it's certainly not worth making a fuss over.

bob123 · 10-30-2011, 06:11 PM

Actually I would say that most ebooks (and probably actual books too) get there spelling changed.

10-30-2011, 11:10 AM	#1
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Where can I buy ebook with canadian spelling? I am wondering if there is an ebook store that sells books with canadian spelling. Or a store that sells ebooks with UK spelling and allows canadians to buy them. Thanks.

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10-30-2011, 12:44 PM	#2
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	So....... books with UK spelling ?

10-30-2011, 02:28 PM	#3
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Well... I would prefer UK spelling to amarican spelling. However despite common belief UK and Canadian spelling are not exactly the same. For example in UK spelling: tyre in canadian spelling: tire. But yes. UK and Canadian spelling are much closer than US and canadian spelling so if I could find a UK ebookstore that let Canadians buy from them that would be better. I find it kind of interesting that all the ebooks I have bought from Kobo (who advertises an international bookstore) have used American spelling.

10-30-2011, 02:38 PM	#4
Quexos Member Retired Posts: 1,999 Karma: 11348924 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Limbo Device: none	Aren't you just splitting hairs ? I thought Canadian English was closer to US English, don't tell me you don't say color or neighbor ? And while we're at it, do you guys use kilometers or miles ? measure heat in C° or F° ? and are you 1.70m tall or 5'7" ?

10-30-2011, 02:50 PM	#5
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Your joking about that right?

10-30-2011, 02:57 PM	#6
JD Gumby Cynical Old Curmudgeon Posts: 1,085 Karma: 8495696 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Halifax, Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Kobo Arc, HTC Desire C	Our vocabulary and spelling tends to be USAian, except with -our instead of -or when appearing at the end of some words (as per UK spelling) and we tends to use Metric and Imperial/American mesurements on a case-by-case basis (though Metric's official). Really, there's nothing all that special about Canadian spelling and I can't imagine anyone sane getting worked up about it, 'cept maybe an English school teacher.

10-30-2011, 03:17 PM	#7
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Take at look at this site: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsiss...anAmerican.htm It looks to me like Canadian spelling is closer to UK spelling than American. And your forgetting about words like centre instead of center. Its just that with ebooks how hard would it be to change the spelling? It is not like I am asking the to get one factory to print books with more than one spelling. Computers could convert the spelling on an entire ebook in less than a second!

10-30-2011, 04:35 PM	#11
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	When I moved to Canada and took a job here that requires a lot of writing, I was very concerned about the spelling. I soon found out that people spell things in a variety of ways, and that US and Canadian variants were pretty much equally in use, except by the government. There are a few exceptions, for example, centre and cheque, but not many.

10-30-2011, 05:27 PM	#12
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	I've never heard of books having their spelling changed for different markets. If I buy a book by a UK author, I get UK spelling. If I buy a book by a US author, I get US spelling. Presumably, a Canadian author uses Canadian spelling. The text of a book should never be changed by a publisher, as far as I'm concerned. I'm still upset that they changed the wording of "The Philosopher's Stone" to "The Sorcerer's Stone" for the first Harry Potter book, for the US market.

10-30-2011, 06:11 PM	#15
bob123 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 34996 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Cybook	Actually I would say that most ebooks (and probably actual books too) get there spelling changed.

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