Why do English people put the letter 'u' in weird places?

Question

Why do they write colour, flavour, neighbour and favourite and not color, flavor, neighbor and favorite?

Answer 1

All these words except neighbour (which comes from the Anglo Saxon) are of Latin origin, but came into English via Norman French following the Norman Conquest. They therefore copy the French spelling. Neighbour is, I believe, spelt the way it is to bring it in line with the majority of English words having that type of ending. The American spelling is based on the original Latin, so is in a sense purer.

Answer 2

They write it correctly, while Americans have lost that, and I can't tell you why Americans did that.
Maybe they think they are too lazy to spell correctly? I have even seen people write "tonite" already!

So, your educational system does not seem to work well. Your question itself proves a state of mind that had not been around too much.

As a German, I get more and more scared here when I see these postings.

Edited after reading yozora's comment: Yozora, I have thought just that same thought as you , they keep the education deliberately as low as possible, teach them bible-stories as science and such, and there must be a reason for that.
As some repliers stated here already, Americans actually think THEY invented the english language. As a southern saxon (Northwest German) that gives me cold shivers...

Answer 3

Not weird places, those are all after o's, so there is a pattern. we don't pronounce the words exactly as you do ,and by putting only the o ,would make it be pronounced strictly as in or, instead of variations in different words.

Also note that I am South African and we spell the same way as the English or British people, as do most other English speaking countries. So it seems that the majority should rule.

Jokes, I know you only posted that question , because some of the Brits are sometimes on about the Americans, bastardising their language.

Answer 4

Actually, originally American English had the 'our' spellings, just as English in other English-speaking countries has always had. However, the great lexicographer Noah Webster (1758-1843), who in 1828 produced the first truly American dictionary, suggested a series of spelling reforms. Among his introductions were -or instead of -our, -er instead of -re, "e" for "oe" and "ae", -se for -ce, and simplifications such as "ax", "program", "plow" and "mold". He suggested other spellings such as bred, frend, helth, beleeve, yeer, rong, and ritten, which of course didn't catch on. (I wouldn't have adopted them myself--they look more like Middle English to me.)

Other English-speaking countries, of course, didn't adopt Webster's reforms. Today, however, I have a feeling there's a shift happening toward American spelling conventions, a slow shift happening at about the same pace as the Great Vowel Shift in the period between Old and Middle English. So maybe there might be some standardization in the next century or two.

Answer 5

Because English, as a Germanic language started to erode with the Viking, and Norman invasions. In 1066, when William the Conquerer became King, he didn't even speak English, he spoke French, and Latin.

Alot of words in English are french and they use that same "u"... coleur for colo(u)r.

English, nowadays is a mutt of a language, which allows alot of foreign words in.

If it was more strict with allowing new words in like French, and more standardized with spelling, like German, it would be alot easier for alot of people.

Answer 6

Many words in the English language are derived from other languages. Much from French and German, but most have come down through the centuries from the Anglican tongues of olde.

That said American English has been the changer here. The words you mention are "Americanized", changed to be different from the British. We have even changed the names of towns in this country after the Revolution because of this.

Answer 7

It was our language before they took it to America and changed it into US English. It's not just the English, you'll find that most Australians and New Zealanders also spell this way. We also write the following words differently: theatre, centre, grey, clerk. It's our language and we pride ourselves on being eccentric.

Answer 8

Because they read and write the real English language. It's really cute how Americans think they speak English but you don't. You speak the bastardised American version of English. The English, Canadian, Australian etc, speak and write the real English language. Words like flavour, colour etc.. are the real English spellings. We speak and write correctly because we don't believe, as you do, that Americans are perfect and wonderful.

Answer 9

the "u" was always there. the americans took it out. why?

anyway most of the ex-british countries (if not all) are still using "British English". I think only the americans that dropped the "u", and changes "s" to "z", in "realise", "organise" etc

to the rest of the world, the words look weird without the "u"!

Answer 10

Because we pronounce these words slightly differently. Listen very carefully to an Englishperson speaking them and you should just be able to make out the "u" sound which accompanies the "o" sound.

You don't use the "u" sound when you pronounce them, or not nearly as much as we do, only the "o" sound, so to you including a "u" seems wrong.

To us including a "u" is perfectly correct as is dropping it perfectly correct for you