Will Canadians ever learn how to correctly spell words?

Question

Why do they add the "u" in words that it doesn't belong in (ie colour, etc.)?

Answer 1

cos that is the CORRECT way to spell, its you lazy americans that have bastardised the english language.

Answer 2

Because they're writing English like it is in EVERY English speaking country. Your good man Webster decided to change some spellings after the war of independence to emphasi"s"e the differences with England. Mostly it involves omitting a "U" as in labour or changing an "s" to a "z" as in civilisation. Or the ridiculous "aluminum" even though Americans still use Titanium, Lithium, Helium etc. So blame Webster for causing all the confusion.
When Americans start speaking American then you can tell other people how to use the language. Untill then Americans will be the (only) ones spelling English incorrectly. Sure is lonely being American these days, isn't it?

Answer 3

What ARE you talking about man? Your forefathers built a country on illiteracy. If you want correct spelling, look in the Oxford English Dictionary and not Websters which spells words incorrectly just so the Yanks don't have their feelings hurt! It's colour, favour, neighbour, labour and the words look so much nicer with that lovely little 'u'. I mean, an Englishman looking at the word 'color' thinks of it in their mind as saying 'col-orrr'. Incidentally, only the south and south-east of England pronounces 'bath' as 'barf', the north and everywhere else in the world says 'baff' but the city of Bath, which baths are named after, is in the south of England and so down here we pronounce Bath and bath as the place/word should be pronounced. [I'm not being nasty - just on a small wind-up trip!]

Answer 4

Actually, as I understand it, the Americans are correct - the spelling they use was how the words were spelt in the time of the Pilgrim Fathers, before the highly-fashionable French made its way the English language via the salons and dinner parties,

I think we should stop sniping at each other - we are all speaking English and a dropped 'u' here and there doesn't amount to a hill of beans, does it?

Anyway, from what I can see on here, half of the UK are illiterate and have no right to criticise others!

Answer 5

I don't mind so much the 'u' in words like humour, favour, labour, and neighbour, but what I really don't understand is the 're' in place of the more logical 'er' in words like centre, calibre, and metre. Also the 're' is inconsistent with other words in English like enter, which was never spelled entre, and also punisher is not punishre, the name Chester is not Chestre, butter not buttre, letter not lettre, and innumerable others. It seems to me that American spelling is more logical than commonwealth spelling. Also let me just say that I don't feel any attachment to any nation (although technically I'm American, I think of myself more as an Alaskan), I find it incredible that Canadians and British call Americans lazy (particularly for something as minor as the way words are spelled). Lazy!? Americans are the least lazy people in the world! They work much longer hours, have much less vacation time, and get much less sleep than any other industrialized nation in the world. Do some research before you make such claims. I don't say Americans work more than anybody else pridefully, because it's actually a very big problem.

Answer 6

Did you know that the USA is the only country that officially spells colour as "color" and centre as "center"?? You make it sound like it's just Canada, when in fact NO other country in the English-speaking world spells words American. The USA is the odd man out, not Canada.

Answer 7

Because they use English, the language of England - and thus spell the majority of the words correctly, unlike the Americans, whom favour the shortened versions of old colonial English, and thus are unable to understand or spell correctly

Answer 8

Lmao Yh Specially When ii Dunoo How To Spell The Word && When ii Do ii Think Its Wrong =D

Answer 9

Because that's the way you spell it.
America is the only English speaking country to spell words without the "U".
If the English spell it that way, then that's the way it should be spelled, because it's their language.

Answer 10

Neighbour is also another example of a properly spelt English word but Americans leave out the 'u'

Answer 11

Actaully the original English spelling DOES contain the 'u' in these words. Color, honor, etc. are corruptions (a grammatical term) of original forms.

In England, where English came from, the 'U' is used.

And who cares anyway? Aren't there less trivial things to worry about?