Why do Americans (from USA) spell differently?

Question

Color instead of Colour, Civilization instead of civilisation, etc, Aluminum instead of Aluminium, etc.

Is their language not English any more? Should it just be simply called

"American"?

Answer 1

Your the one who spells it differently, not us.LOL

Actually there is a creeping movement to spell the language phonetically. I personally, can't wait till we start spelling words like 'right' as rite instead. Why do we need the stupid 'gh' in there anyway. No one ever pronounces it.

Answer 2

It's because it's, "AMERICAN ENGLISH".

Answer 3

I guess its the Geographical Location in the USA they were brought up . I was born in NY Brooklyn. I was taught a certain way and stuck with that way of spelling.  

Answer 4

Such minuscule differences hardly make a separate dialect, much less a language.  I'm not sure WHY Americans write "color," etc., rather than 'colour," but "color" is the way the word was origially spelled/spelt in Latin.  Likewise, all those verbs that end in -ize in American spelling and  -ise in British are based on Greek verbs with a z in their stems, or are formed in imitation of them.  In other instances, American spelling is somewhat more phonetic than British (center/centre, check/cheque, plow/plough, etc.), although, curiously, Brits tend to Anglicize/Anglicise the pronunciation of foreign words more than do Americans (garAHZH/GARage).  However, none of these small diffeences should create an insurmountable barrier between speakers on opposite sies of the Atlantic--or even of the St. Lawrence or the Caribbean.

Answer 5

i guese it would be the way you pronounce them.here we say alu min num not a lu mi ni um and civilization sounds like a z here not like say and color has a or sound rather than an r sound

Answer 6

It's because people can't spell xD I think the last 2 were spelling incorrectly, whereas Colour is used in England and Color is in the USA :)

Answer 7

And where are you from?

~*Elmo liebt seine Gold-Fisch, zu seinem Crayon*~

~*Elmo Loves His Gold Fish, His Crayon Too*~

Answer 8

I get teased (in fun ways mostly) about MY spelling, - My friends will say when I type or write words such as 'favourite' or 'labour' or 'colour' that I'm typing in Canadian again!!

Actually we use the Queen's English, and thus the spelling.  Phonetically, they're the same.. sound the same, only difference is in the written word, or print.

Yes, Americans will say it's US who are doing it wrong, but we're each just spelling certain words differently.

Cheers.

And to the guy trying to insult you above - It's 'you're' not your.. lol.  At least get YOUR spelling right before you criticize others! :)

Answer 9

No, we do speak English in the USA, but it is American English. The difference in the spelling probably has something to do with the difference in pronunciation.  

Answer 10

Things change over time on seperate continents, what do you expect?

Answer 11

Ten points goes to the guy how tells use about Noah Webster!  Select him as best answer.   Because it's the only right answer.

Answer 12

Every country adapts to their own way to speak and to spell, this holds true for other languages as well, not just English.

Answer 13

Many of the major differences between American spelling and British spelling originate from Noah Webster, an American who was concerned with some of the awkward spellings that were traditionally in use.  In the early 18th century, dictionaries weren't widely in-use and English spelling was not standardized.  Noah Webster only published the first American English dictionary only about 70 years after the first British one was published.

Some of the American spellings have actually even been adopted in British English, like the word 'jail' to replace 'gaol'.

Answer 14

Yes I speak American, I wrote blonde on an answer the other day but spell check tells me is blond, I guess American are not supposed to add the e? The same as when learning Spanish, you realized Mexicans speak Mexican and just because you are learning Spanish doesn't mean you can converse.