American Spelling

[beachy]

Why if Americans speak the english language, are certain words spelt differently e.g. color (colour) and theater (theatre).

[Quizmonster]

Click here for the answer.

[jno]

it mostly has to do with the countries being far apart for most of the last 400 years, so the language developed a little bit differently. As QM's link suggests, some of it was deliberate. Words are still being invented and changing (eg to do with computers) but modern communications mean the two countries are more likely these days to use the same ones, with the same spelling. The Americans couldn't care less how Brits spell things, though the British seem more sensitive about Americans changing 'their' language.

[beachy]

Thanks both of you for your quick answers - now I know

[Quizmonster]

You might find the following quotes of interest, Beachy...

"England and America are two countries divided by a common language." (George Bernard Shaw)

"We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language." (Oscar Wilde)

[Nether Edge]

Except that "America" is a continent, not a country [try USA, George Bernard] and England is a country only for very limited purposes (eg footbal team).
England + Wales are one country for legal system/domicile purposes.
Add Scotland
Result = Great Britain.
Add Northern Ireland.
Result= United Kingdom.
Add Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
Result= British Isles.

[jno]

incidentally, though I said 'Americans couldn't care less', what many Americans would say is 'I could care less' - the reverse of the British phrase but with exactly the same meaning. To me that makes no sense at all, but perhaps an American could explain it.

[Quizmonster]

Click here, J, for some discussion by Michael Quinion of the disappeared negative in the American version of "I couldn't care less".

[jno]

thanks for that, Quizmonster - I had wondered if New York Jewish speech patterns had something to do with it. I'm surprised to find that even the British version is little older than me, though.

[marianne joy]

I believe that sometime ago the 'American' language underwent a 'rationalisation' or 'rationalization' and they looked at the words and took out the letters that they believed to be superflous. I think that this was though the time that the spellings changed.
Perhaps we ought to do this too!
I'm not sure when this happened but I'm sure that someone out there will be able to tell us

[chevrolet1.8]

there are probably quite a few words that have been altered, but where do they get fawcet from? (sorry beachy not meaning to hijack your post)

[Quizmonster]

Chevrolet, it's not really a case of where they got 'fawcet' - more usually spelt 'faucet' - since that word was being freely used in British English as far back as the 1400s! We seem to have dropped it and thay seem to have adopted it, that's all. Its origin is unknown.