# America cannot spell
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [October 10, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365 "2000-10-10T03:57:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@watadoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watadoo)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/1 "2000-10-10T03:57:13Z")
I have absolutely no right to point fingers at any individual and say that they cannot spell, since I am poor in that department. But I do say that American English seems to be a ‘lazy evaluation’ version of the English language. 😉
To spell color without a ‘u’? Why on earth? Because of the effort required? This and decisions like it seem to have been arrogant and ignorant ones. What you think?
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/2 "2000-10-10T04:10:08Z")
Well, if as I suspect, the word started out as _color_ in Latin, why on earth did the Brits make it more difficult by inserting a letter? Oh, nevermind. I just answered my own question.
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/3 "2000-10-10T04:23:36Z")
The “lazy” comment doesn’t work on several levels. The “u” was dropped from color, harbor, and similar words deliberately by Webster as he attempted (rather successfully) to create an “American” English. As **samclem** noted, he was partially influenced by looking to ancient Latin roots. (He might be criticized for dropping the **u** when he should have dropped the **o** according to American _pronunciation_, but his observance of etymologies precluded that.)
On the other hand, the Brits have a long tradition of mocking American English for using words that are too long or complex. The classic jibe came from G.K. Chesterton who remarked on the ease of a Brit driving his car home, then taking the lift to his flat while the poor American had to drive home in an automobile and take an elevator to his apartment.
Whatever has driven the development of American English, it is far too simplistic to claim that it is powered by “laziness.”
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/4 "2000-10-10T05:19:03Z")
Perhaps Mr. Webster dropped the “u” in “colour” because it is, oh, I don’t know, _unnecessary???_
Webster was trying to make the language a little more modern; spellings were lagging behind pronounciation. He was also interested in increasing literacy among immigrants. He wanted to make the language easier to learn.
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### Author:  [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/5 "2000-10-10T05:35:00Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by watadoo \*
> \*\*I have absolutely no right to point fingers at any individual and say that they cannot spell, since I am poor in that department. But I do say that American English seems to be a ‘lazy evaluation’ version of the English language. 😉
>
> To spell color without a ‘u’? Why on earth? Because of the effort required? This and decisions like it seem to have been arrogant and ignorant ones. What you think?
>
> \*\*
On “laziness” in language: A lot of languages go the easy route phonetically in their evolutions (yes, i know in the example of “colour” it’s just orthographic). Lets look at the Romance languages. Some of the things the modern Romance languages (well, going back to Vulgar Latin) did were things like dropping of intertonic vowels:
- TEMPORANU \> temprano (Spanish. the o between p an r drops). (the intertonic vowels were pronounced with decreasing strength until they eventually dropped out, according to my books)
And metathesis (reordering of consonants so things like “difficult” clusters are easier to pronounce):
- CAPITULU \> cabidlo \> cabildo (spanish. t and l switched to become spanish d and l)
So, because these developments happened does that make the Romance Languages lazy descendants of Vulgar Latin?
But, the dropping of u in words like color was intentional, and served to help separate American English from Latin.
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### Author:  [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/6 "2000-10-10T09:47:17Z")
It’s me you’re talking about, isn’t it?
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/7 "2000-10-10T14:39:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by watadoo \*
> \*\*I have absolutely no right to point fingers at any individual and say that they cannot spell, since I am poor in that department. But I do say that American English seems to be a ‘lazy evaluation’ version of the English language. 😉
>
> To spell color without a ‘u’? Why on earth? Because of the effort required? This and decisions like it seem to have been arrogant and ignorant ones. What you think?
>
> \*\*
I’m FROM a country that uses the U, and even I don’t understand your point.
The purpose of written language is to convey information. It doesn’t really matter a hell of a lot whether you have a U in “honour” or not, as lot as there’s some agreement as to whether or not there is one.
It’s just as valid to criticize the British for having the “u”. Who says British English is “correct”? This isn’t French, with centrally determined, inflexible rules; it a language of pure expression and convenience, and if it changes, terrific.
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/8 "2000-10-10T15:31:48Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Perhaps Mr. Webster dropped the “u” in “colour” because it is, oh, I don’t know, unnecessary???
Actually, when I was in elementary school in Canada, the “u” in _colour_, _harbour_, _rumour_, and the like, was absolutely necessary. If they weren’t spelled with the “u”, the teacher marked the spelling as wrong.
Anyway. I’ve also heard that Webster set out to make the spellings simpler, both for the convenience of those new to the English language and for the sake of simplicity. He succeeded in the US, but his ideas failed to catch on elsewhere, at least in the past.
Nowadays, who knows? With the immediacy of written information–from the Internet and other media–I think we’re all pretty familiar with American spellings, and they are so common that they likely wouldn’t upset those who are used to the British spellings.
But nonetheless, I’m just so used to using the spellings I learned at school that I’ll continue to do so in my own personal writing. Don’t believe any _rumors_ you hear about me doing otherwise. 😃
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### Author:  [@Phil\_15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phil_15)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/9 "2000-10-10T20:33:49Z")
spooje said:
> [@](#):
>
> It’s me you’re talking about, isn’t it?
No, no, no, no, spooje!!! Its ME.
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### Author:  [@muppetsoup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muppetsoup)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/10 "2000-10-10T20:48:21Z")
YUO=FAGOT
L33T HAXORZ LIEK ME DUON’T NEDE TO SPEL.
i love [jeff k.](http://www.somethingawful.com/jeffk)
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### Author:  [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/11 "2000-10-10T20:52:16Z")
GET IN MY EAR, PANTS!!!
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### Author:  [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/12 "2000-10-10T21:23:47Z")
Actually I think colour looks nicer than color. But,it is obviously not really necessary.
So while we’re on the subject what about the English spelling thins in ways that have nothing to do with their pronuciation. Like “Thames”.
And what about zed? How come every single other letter gets by pronounced without an additional consonant and zee needs a “D”?
WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH ZED?
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/13 "2000-10-10T21:50:07Z")
Well, he got mixed up with them gypsy girls and then he was caught out by the haymow with the vicar’s oldest daughter and . . . . OH, you weren’t talkin’ 'bout Zedediah, were ya?
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### Author:  [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/14 "2000-10-10T22:12:55Z")
Actually, I’m perfectly content with the content of the the English language. Should we alternate the spelling of words merely to an alternate usage, or can we just say attribute the words to having different attributes? Look, excuse me for being deliberate here, but I don’t think that having us deliberate on these matters is any excuse. I grow number just knowing that anyone can pick on a minute point of the English language and I have to spend quite a number of minutes trying to justify it. The end result is this: if you can’t come to me with a record of times Americans refused to spell correctly, I shall have to record here and for all time that your claim is a pile of refuse.
And if you even try to debate the logic held within, I can guarantee you I won’t shed a tear when I tear you a new asshole.
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### Author:  [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/15 "2000-10-10T22:40:04Z")
ZED
British spoken form of the letter _z_ 15th century, from Old French _zede_ via late Latin from Greek _zeta_ so blame them furriners.
and that was fun, EnderW23
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### Author:  [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/16 "2000-10-10T22:57:05Z")
betenoir:
The Master himself has commented on Zed:
[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzed.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mzed.html)
The long and short of it is: We pronounce it “Zee” so it makes the song work.
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### Author:  [@Greyson3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greyson3)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/17 "2000-10-10T22:58:22Z")
I agree. A language is made to accomodate the communication needs of its speakers, not the reverse. American English and British English both work well enough on that count. Certainly there’s no call to declare one superior to the other because it omits, adds, or reverses letters in any particular word.
PS: EAT A BAG OS HELL\< CLIFFY B!!!
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### Author:  [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/18 "2000-10-10T23:05:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by MilTan \*
> \*\*betenoir:
>
> The Master himself has commented on Zed:
> \*\*
Has SD staff member Ian gotten a promotion?
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### Author:  [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2000, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/19 "2000-10-11T02:56:15Z")
“q, r, s, t, v,
just keep singing and you’ll see
if you only use your head
there’s w, x and y and zed.”
Or maybe they can work in a few lines about the dangers of American cultural hegemony.🙂
But, if zeta evolved into zed, why didn’t beta become bed? Is all I’m saying. Ok, I know that doesn’t have an answer. Unless it’s just that it doesn’t get used much (certainly not after that scathing review from Shakespear.)
Anybody want to explain Thames?
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-cannot-spell/36365/20 "2000-10-11T03:17:43Z")
“If you do not use zed
I shall bop you on your head!”
Hey, it works! ::Runs, runs, runs like a constipated wiener-dog!::
[Al Mode]Hey, you’ve got weasels on your face.[/Al Mode]
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