I'm no gramma pervert BUT

[Mick-Talbot]

Those of you who do specialize in grammar .... haven't you noticed the american Z getting into our english words ?

I mean on Answerbank.


And what are you going to do about it ?

[Baldric]

Although it's the English Language, as long as the meaning is clear I don't think it matters too much, things change, however I do think that England / English should begin with a capital.

[slaney]

Hi Mazie -if only you could tell my dear children that? :o)

[mazie]

If you'll tell mine the same ;o) xx

[jake-the-peg]

I work for a US company so that is standard form for any outgoing publications - and no big deal for internal.

The only exception is "lazer"

Sorry but that *is* incorrect because it's an acronym - andthat *does* get me going!

[DTCwordfan]

laser is spelt with an s in it in the US

[FredPuli43]

How do you spell this word, chosen at random from a dictionary? Is it 'organise' or 'organize' ? Organize is correct, according to the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, and is its main entry for the word. The word comes to us from Old French 'organizer' and Medieval Latin 'organizare' ( not only a word not in Classical Latin, but with Z which it never used, except in words borrowed from Greek). But modern French uses 'S' in the word and so, sometimes did we from the Late Middle English period, and the 'S' version is given as a secondary spelling in the Dictionary.

I was taught to use Z in this and many other words where S is now commonly used; it's a bit of an effort for me to follow the current fashion for 'S'. If Americans prefer the Z version they are doing no more than we used to do. We shouldn't blame them for it.

[Bambiagain]

I would always use "organise". I tend toward "ise" anyway and feel that "ize" is American. However I do know that the Americans use the old English spelling in this case. I still feel that "gotten" is an Americanism, but in point of fact that is OE as well. If it fits in the crossword I'll go with it.

[vetuste_ennemi]

It got Dexter/Morse wound up. And I think he/they were wrong. I agree with the correspondent who pointed out that in words of Greek origin the Zee is correct,

[FredPuli43]

Gotten? Certainly in regular use here once, but 'forgotten' now. But several Americanisms have their origin here. 'Faucet' for tap was a British word as was 'guy' for a man (from Guy Fawkes). Like the supposed American use of 'Z' , they were current here once (in that last case still is), but fashion here was against them.

But why Americans call Z 'zee' is another question. Probably Noah Webster's ( of Webster's Dictionary ) fault !

[Arksided]

I'm no gramma pervert we all feel safer for knowing that.

Yep, I have noticed that Amercanz choose to spell wordz simplistically. who do they think they are. tsk... gutted!

[AB Editor]

I hate this, especially as the Anzwerbank Editor.

[Arksided]

thatz OK Ed, no-one uderstandz what your on about anyway ;-)