What kind of soda flavor do you like? I mean, what flavour of pop do you like? I’m sorry, what flavour of fizzy drink is your favourite?
This may be a surprise for some people, but English has a decent amount of variety to it in terms of spelling. This is a challenge for an author for a couple reasons. First, the author needs to learn how to spell words properly and it makes it difficult when there are competing spellings. Second, an author who writes in English needs to make a decision as to what English he or she will actually write in.
There are, more or less, two primary forms of written English: American English and British English.
If you have paid attention to this kind of thing throughout my blog, you’ll notice that I aim to write using American English. That pleases some of you and irritates others. I may not stick to American English all that well as it is not my native tongue… or my native typing… but I try.
I live in Canada and as a Canadian, we typically use British English. We are, however, very close to the US and because of this (and because of the influential nature of American culture) we are heavily influenced by American thinking and writing.
So, when I write, how do I choose the form of English I will use? When an author publishes a book, should they use American or British English?
Before we touch on that question, let me list some of the common spelling differences (I’m sure I’m missing a lot) between British and American English (the British will be on the left, American on the right).
British/American
armour/armor
armoury/armory
centre/center
colour/color
defence/defense
favour/favor
favourite/favorite
flavour/flavor
grey/gray
harbour/harbor
honour/honor
humour/humor
Leapt/Leaped
neighbour/neighbor
neighbourhood/neighborhood
odour/odor
saviour/savior
towards/toward
I’m sure I missed a number and there are definitely a lot more when you work through common vocabulary (such as elevator vs. lift), but covering every last spelling difference is beyond the scope of this blog (let alone all the vocabulary).
The challenge before a writer is the question, which form of English should I use? If I’m writing a book primarily or initially for British English readers, the choice is obvious. If I’m writing for American English readers, the choice is obvious.
It was a little more difficult for me as a Canadian. As mentioned above, we use British English, but we are so close to the US.
As an author, you should consider carefully your intended market. We will, of course, hope to sell books all across the world. However, if you think the US will be a major portion of your sales, go with American English. If the UK, Canada, Australia or any other English speaking nation will be the major portion of your sales, go for British English.
Keep in mind the context of your book as well. I think if you are writing a book with British characters based in London, England, but you are writing to an American audience… that’s tricky. Personally, I would go with British English, but you have a tough call to make.
As you can see from my comments above, I decided to go with American English for my books. Perhaps my American brothers and sisters will appreciate that and my British English speaking brothers and sisters from around the world will come, in time, to forgive me.
In order to do this, I had to learn a lot! The easy ones listed above are the “ou” vs. “o” words like armour vs. armor. The other ones, like towards/toward were a little more difficult to figure out.
There is also this gem:
In British English, practise is a verb while practice is a noun. In American English, practice is both a verb and a noun.
Or this one:
Eyeing tends to be British, while Eying tends to be more American. Both are accepted (I believe in either form of English), but you kind of need to pick one and stick with it. I didn’t use that word often, but I did use it. In the end, I went with the British spelling as I find “eying” looks weird to me. So does “eyeing,” but it looks less weird to me.
Let me mention one more that I struggled with. I ended up choosing the British form for this one as well. The words are: Leapt or Leaped. What’s strange about this one is, similar to eyeing/eying above, both are somewhat acceptable, but they are pronounced differently (unlike a lot of the words listed above). So not only is there a different spelling, but also a different sound.
“Leapt” tends to be British while “leaped” tends to be American. Again, I went with the British version on this one, even though I was going with American English on most of the rest. The reason for this was because in three out of the four times I used it in my first novel, I preferred the pronunciation of “leapt” in the sentence.
If you’re an American and really struggle with that, I don’t know what to say to you. If you really can’t get over that (pun intended), that’s strange. You shouldn’t get that upset over “leapt.”
So, as an author, you need to choose whether you use British or American English in your writing. The decision should be made based on a combination of location (yours) and intended market. If it is important to your readers, you can always produce a British edition and an American edition, but whatever you do, pick your direction and run with it!
To sum up my own choice, I chose American English for pretty much everything except the leaped/leapt difference for my books. I chose “leapt” primarily because I prefer the sound of it over and above “leaped.” Work through it on your own and go for it!
Comment below to let me know how you have worked through this matter.
Shawn
21 responses to “British English or American English??”
Also there’s often an ‘s’ missing in American English – Math, toward, forward. We Brits always add an ‘s’ on the end!
Interesting! As a Canadian, we typically follow British English, but that math one is not a common one for us. We normally just say “math.”
We normally says towards, though. As I’ve been learning to write, “American,” I’ve struggled with the towards/toward one.
We always say ‘Maths’ and ‘towards’. Anything else doesn’t sound right!
Ah, yes, “maths”, I struggled with that one a little, but not much. As an American editor who edits English globally, I love the differences in American and British English as well as Australian and even New Zealand. What I want to add to Shawn’s astute, well written blog is that there’s so much more than just spelling. The vocabulary is totally different and so is the punctuation. As a real Brit-Lit fan, classics and modern, I am well-versed in lovely little British words like “loo” for bathroom and “bonnet” for the trunk of my car. I could go on and on and on. Quotation marks are single in British, which we Americans call apostrophes, and double in the U.S. Canadians have a dialect of their own as well, with the influence of French and German, depending on which province you’re from. Where it becomes important is in the dialogue. A Englishman must speak like one from the part of the U.K. he’s from. Americans as well. The Southerners in the U.S. certainly don’t speak like Northerners. “We” almost need interpreters at times. I love to giggle at some of the phraseology from other global English-speaking cultures. The Aussies tak’ ta’prise (prize), mates, for ta’bestest hoot!
I love languages, words, and dialects. My latest book is historical, and I wrote in four distinctly different dialects to “flavor” the dialogue with authenticity. If you want your characters to jump off the page, the voices have to be heard in the mind as well as expressed in the black text upon a stark, white page. It takes much research; I read documents from the mid-1600s for my characters. Not all writers, agents, publishers subscribe to this realism, but I believe the research is worth it. I respect the Diana Gabaldon’s and Val MacDermid’s, and Elizabeth George’s of the industry, and as an Editor, I respect the culture of your characters.
Deborah, thanks so much! You have added a great deal to what was written above! Thanks so much!!
You inspired me, Shawn, as always!
I struggle with this all the time…because I read a lot of vintage editions as a kid (I taught myself how to read, along with a lot of other self-education.). And the spelling was usually British. (Which is why I’m hoping to move to Canada, at least, if not Scotland. *laugh*)
That’s the perfect reason to move to Canada!!! 🙂
That’s what I thought when I read this post. Working on making sure my immigration application is filled out correctly…maybe a perk if I use British spelling! LOL
It can’t hurt! Now, one thing I didn’t mention is that we use British spelling, but we tend to follow an American vocabulary (to an extent). Sooooo… How does that affect your immigration plans. 🙂
I’m still planning on it! Surprised there’s not more of a Trump-based exodus of Americans heading your way…
🙂
I had a challenging edit recently. The book switched between a first person document written in the past in or near Britain, and a first-person narrative with the characters and action in America. After some failed experiments using one form of writing/spelling/idiom or the other, the inevitable solution was to switch between both as appropriate.
Wow! What a challenge! Did it turn out well? Was it easy to follow?
I think the result was good, and readers are so accustomed to reading both British and American books that I don’t recall that any reviewer or reader even picked up on the alternating styles.
Interesting! Good on you for catching it!
It would have saved me a lot of time if I’d had your lists!
As another footnote, I am certain that the author and I would have received criticism had we opted for only one spelling and grammar. There are also numerous traps like a ‘flat’ in London or ‘an apartment’ in New York, or calling a cab or a taxi, or using a lift or an elevator, or walking on pavement or sidewalk, or roundabout versus traffic circle.
It sounds like you made the right choice.
I was born and am still living in Nova Scotia, Canada. I stick with the language I learned while growing up. That is British spelling. One reason is because I don’t want to see the dialect die. Words spelt differently, such as harbor for harbour look odd, and my brain will not accept them. In other cases, as you mentioned in the post, words are pronounced differently. I’ve tried to say spilled and my tongue twists. It will always be spilt. As will dreamt. I never say dreamed.
That said, when I read novels written by American authors, I have no problem understanding the language. The same is true when I read a novel written by a British author. In my mind, the authors are staying true to their origin. It’s as if I’ve travelled to that country to read. If everything was written in American English, how boring life would be.
Through reading books by authors from different countries, I expand my knowledge. Any reader who takes offense to words or spellings not of their country are, well, not my concern. They are closed minded. They should appreciate world knowledge, so if they visited England, they’d know what a ‘lift’ and a ‘torch’ were.
It’s important to keep in mind that spelling must stay true to fact. If I wrote about Halifax Harbour, the ‘u’ must be there — check the map. But if I wrote about Pearl Harbor, the ‘u’ is missing.
I have a friend who grew up in Mexico. He tells me there is a ton of different dialects all through the country. I hadn’t realized this before, although if I had thought it through it would have made sense.
All this adds to the challenge of communication wherever we go, but adds as well to the joy of experiencing different cultures and ways and perspectives.
I think as authors, working through all this can be tricky, but enjoyable as well.
Thanks for your comment!