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submitted 6 months ago by RmDebArc_5@sh.itjust.works to c/greentext@sh.itjust.works

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[-] rainynight65@feddit.de 2 points 6 months ago

First source I could find:

In the early 1800s, a U.S. lexicographer and dictionary creator named Noah Webster decided that the United States of America should use different spellings than British English — ideally to make words shorter, simpler, and more logical.

In the 1806 and 1828 U.S. dictionaries that he published, Webster changed most of the “ou” British spellings of words to “o” — including turning “color” into “colour.” He also changed “flavour” to “flavor,” “rumour” to “rumor,” “honour” to “honor,” and many more. He argued that eliminating unnecessary letters (like that silent “u”) could save money on printing

The claim on England looking down on the colonies wouldn't check out of you consider that -or in favour of -our is only used in the US, none of the other former colonies (not even Canada).

[-] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

There you go. That's what I get for trusting random bits of unsourced memory.

[-] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

You know, while sitting around avoiding work on a Monday, I remembered my source: some British dude living in the American Midwest talking about random words on YouTube (I think his channel is "Lost in the Pond" or something like that). The specifics he referenced were "axe/ax," "kerb/curb," and "tyre/tire." In each case, there was a settled spelling shared by British English and North American English (the latter of each pair), and for some reason England made up a new spelling or reverted to an even older spelling in the 19th century (Wikipedia source)

So I wasn't completely fabricating things, but it was much more specific than I remembered.

this post was submitted on 05 May 2024

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