How come the Canadians spell words wrong?

Question

They spell color, "colour" and they spell center "centre". They spell loads of other words funny too. And they call a "Z" a "Zed" instead of Zee.

At what point did Canada take a different path in the spelling of words from everyone else or has the french-speaking province of Qebec somehow influenced the rest of the country?

Answer 1

They don't spell these things incorrectly, just differently. The split in spelling occurred around the time Webster created his first dictionary, in 1806. Those who were educated (for their day) stuck with that dictionary and its British spellings; those who were less-educated (largely Americans) for their day tended to go for the "new" spellings (which Webster DID include in his dictionary). If anybody is spelling "wrong," it would be those of us from the U.S., but in some respects there's no right or wrong, just generally accepted spellings from two different points of view.

It's interesting to note that while the SPELLINGS that the British use are older, according to linguists, it's very likely that the PRONUNCIATIONS used by Americans are closer to the "originals" in use when the two countries went their separate ways. This, again, is because Americans didn't have access to as many books at that time, and so simply repeated what they heard, whereas British pronunciations were more influenced by spellings of the day (part of which Webster, in turn, influenced), and which evolved with time due to being written down, and by "fashionable" pronunciations that crept into the language.

Either way, language is a living organism, and a fascinating study :-)

Answer 2

The language YOU speak is English, and the spellings you say are wrong, are the English spellings.
As English was spoken hundreds of years before the USA was discovered, it's fair to say that the correct spellings are the original (and still current) English ones, not the newer American versions, so the Canadians are (at least historically) correct.
It's actually America that took a different path, probably not long after Independance, 4 July 1776.

Answer 3

You know that the ancestors of all americans were Europeans, don't you?
You have got it wrong. Americans spell colour as color, centre as center, and call "Z" ZEE instead of ZED.

Long ago, due to some oppression from the church or something, many europeans (many of them British) left their country and sailed for America.
They wanted to sever all ties that they had with their country. So, they made themselves different. The ultimate severing-of-ties came when Noah Webster made a dictionary of an entirely revised version of the English language.
In it were different spellings and, even to an extent, different pronunciations of the same words.
So, from that time on wards there were always two main kinds of spellings and pronunciation - The British (which was the original one and the most accurate one) and the American (which was more nasal-sounding and closer to its spelling)

Therefore,
Americans spell it as "color" while the British spell it as "colour"
Americans pronounce secretary as "sek-ret-a-ry" while the British pronounce it as "sek-ret-ry"
Americans say ZEE while the British say ZED.
Americans say "sidewalk" and the British say "pavement"
Americans say "elevator" while the British say "lift"

Answer 4

It's the British influence. And since most other English speaking countries were once British colonies, most of them use British spellings. In America we asserted our independence from Britain and from their standards on the English language. So American English is fundamentally different from English spoken in most other parts of the world. That does not make us wrong, just different. We have a tendency to look at old English as a less evolved version of the language that we left behind 200 years ago but we should try not to judge those who haven't caught up yet. There is nothing wrong with the Primitive-British speakers. They will learn more advanced language patterns as their cultures and civilizations develop. Just yanking you limey Brits around a bit. But seriously, British people, and those that still have not freed themselves from the yoke of British oppression, just spell differently because Americans wanted to assert their independence and differentiate themselves from the British.

Answer 5

It was not Canada that took a different path; it was the United States, which emerged from British influence 200 years earlier than Canada did.
Noah Webster, of dictionary fame, went out of his way to Americanize what had been as British as Canada is today. No doubt American youngsters rebelled against the change, when it happened, as you deride the ways of non-American peoples who are, after all, non-American.
You have obviously offended several of my fellow-Canadians. I am not so offended because for every U.S.-originated taunt of this nature there are a hundred coming back from the U.K. towards you. Taunts which I consider uncalled for and frequently rebut on your behalf.
Merry Christmas!

Answer 6

Canadians use the Queen's English when spelling and it isn't limited to just Canada.
Are you aware how difficult the learning of the English language really is?

Answer 7

It's because of the British influence, it's not wrong. By the way, i spell color and center and favorite the American way, cuz i'm just used to it. And "Zed" sounds gangsta..."Zee" sounds corny.
Peace~

Answer 8

Who says that the Canadians can't spell? Maybe it's you lot that are spelling wrong and everyone else is getting it right. Most other English speaking countries use the same spelling as them, I think it's you that has taken a different path as you call it.

And it's Quebec, not Qebec.

Answer 9

Perhaps you are thinking that what is done in the US should be the standard for Canada? Remember that Canada is actually under the protectorate of Great Britain and is subject to their customs and laws. So, it makes sense that they would be influenced by a different culture.

Answer 10

some US words are older than British words like the use of railroad - this was the old British way what we British now call the railway.

so language is not as black and white as we think.

and zed is the 'word' for z while the US use the sound 'zee' in this case they are wrong because our alphabet is named not sounded.