Why do people in the UK spell certain words differently?

Question

For example, I would spell it 'color' while someone from the UK would spell it 'colour' and I would spell it 'theater', while people across the pond would speil it 'theatre'? I would say it 'organize", while you would say it 'organise'. Why is that? What is the origin of the two different spellings? Are they pronounced the same way?

Why do people in the UK call math 'maths'? What is the origin of that word?

Answer 1

UK v USA

US spelling is based on the English taken by the earlier settlers to the New World - which was 17th century century English. As a colony of England it remained faithful to its roots in some ways, but had constantly to adapt to the conditions of a new environment, new customs, local languages ....

In the course of time and under the influence of an independent spirit, its own dictionary, recognising the truth of the phrase coined in later years: "two countries divided by a common language" was written by Noah Webster and incorporated modifications and simplifications by Webster, bringing us

color, honor, center, theater, check (for UK cheque), defense, thru, sox ....

The increasing influence of US culture and attitudes extends to spelling too, though it is not always obvious. The two main computer operating systems come from the US and the word "quit" rather than UK "leave" or "close" joins "program" (not "programme") as a broadly understood term. Microsoft Explorer's "Favorites" would be a natural next word to change.

Answer 2

This is why the English language is so difficult to learn!

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more
refuse.

4. We must polish the Polish furniture.

5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to
present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13. They were too close to the door to close it.

14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Answer 3

The English spellings were standardised in the 1500's to deal with the advent of printing. There was a government department set up to deal with it in England. Pronunciations do change over time, (e.g. knight would have been originally pronounced k-ni-gkh-t) but spelling had now been standardised so the original forms stayed, giving us a good idea what our language would have sounded like in the past in some cases.

Also alot of our spellings come from borrowed french words, such as theatre and colour. That's how they're spelt in their original language.

American English changed after the Revolution, there was a move to rationalise American English and make its spellings fit more to contemporary pronunciations. The spelling bee is something uniquely American, it was encouraged for this purpose.
Webster wrote his dictionary to emphasise the differences and promote American spelling and language.

Answer 4

Back when the US broke off from England, spelling was not yet established in consistent form. People basically assumed others would understand anyway, just as they do here on the Internet. So the school teachers who eventually standardized English and the school teachers who eventually standardized American English were different ones, in a process not unlike what happens with divergent evolution of species that get separated by continental drift.

Answer 5

Why do the English persist in this quaint notion that they somehow own a language? English is a noun when applied to language and an adjective when applied to people - the word does not have the same meaning! A cow is an animal, to cow is to shrink from - not the same meaning.

English takes its name from 'angle', a people who, along with the Saxons, settled in Britain ages ago. From their form of old German and other influences from Scandinavia, France and Italy, among others, comes the language now referred to as English.

That English should evolve differently on each side of the Atlantic is hardly surprising - what is striking is how closely American and British English resemble each other. Unless blinkered by some inherent linguistic puritanism, speakers of each variant can understand each other at all functional levels.

Minor dissimilarities in spelling are irrelevant to mutual understanding, as are colloquial phrases which, in any case, are found more within British English dialects than between UK and American English.

If the pedantic upholders of some sort of linguistic status quo ante were to take their obsession to its logical conclusion we would all be speaking in the manner of Chaucer or the Venerable Bede.

I think the US should be congratulated on the added colour (or color, if you will) its language brings to contemporary English as she is spoke!

Born in Ireland, raised in Yorkshire and live in Germany so I have no vested interest in this form of linguistic peeing up against the wall.

Maybe one can understand the need of the British to feel proprietorial of the English language, they have little else to offer!

Answer 6

What you must realise is that English is a concoction of Anglo Saxon, Celtic, Norman/French we then developed the True English ,from there we went on to explore the world finding many lands, as such through us conquering and inhabiting those countries with settlers and such , we transposed our language onto these countries, those countries , being many miles away by sailing boat , then bastardised the language to suit them , this is why today you can chose USA English, or English UK, do not try to play Scrabble on computer as a English person with a American Scrabble , you will land up swearing at it.

Answer 7

There are obvious answers to the question (as in, UK English is the original format whereas US English is the dumbed down version)
As for math and maths. Maths encompasses a whole range of disciplines, hence the plural.

Answer 8

Yes, generally the words you have mentioned are pronounced the same. Maths is short for mathematics with an s.
Americans inherited the english language from England and unfortunately then bastardised it- typical of Americans- wanting to rule or have power over everything.
The English language is one that has many nuances and is often contradictory, this should be celebrated not ignored my only guess is that Americans simplified the language because of their lack of intelligence.

Answer 9

I think you should ask the Americans why they spell things differently. Not we from the United Kingdom. The language is ours. England - English.

Answer 10

The English language is so called because it is ENGLISH, or to put it another way, from ENGLAND. The pronounciations are the same. The Americans changed spellings of English words to better suit their accents way back when Columbus discovered America.
Columbus was English too, incidently.. Where would you be without us!?