Well said, Bob ... as one travels around the US a great variety of English can be encountered. That which is spoken in some parts of the south seems strange to northerners, for example, and the English used in some neighborhoods in San Francisco is different to one degree or another than that spoken in another neighborhood - and San Francisco is only 49 square miles in size. I've also encountered this with the many versions of Spanish that can be found in Latin America.
Shel > [Original Message] > From: Bob W > > *no such thing as "British" spelling. There's American English, and > > then English used by everybody else in the English speaking world. > > "British spelling" implies the non-American version is the minority > > version, where in fact the opposite is true. > > > > And that's my pet rant, guys! > > > > ERNR > > > > Well said! Mine too, and thanks for saying it. It DID need saying. > > > > I'm sorry, but there is such a thing as British spelling, and British > English, and British English is a minority variety (I think Indian English > has the most speakers). > > There are also such things as Jamaican English, Australian English, Canadian > English, African American English, Scots English, Estuary English, ... I > could go on. Each of them has its own spelling varieties too. Not only are > there geographically distinct varieties of English (and any other widespread > language) but there are also varieties distinct to each generation within, > and to some extent across, the geographical varieties. > > http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0521629942/102-4625644-4597749 > ?v=glance > > One of the reasons for the richness of English is that nobody has ever > successfully legislated to keep it 'pure', so it just goes its own way. > > Bob
