American English versus British English: Spelling
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- moderntimes
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Re: American English versus British English: Spelling
Specific terms for various regions are neither wrong nor right. Brit vs US preferred is expected. I don't understand "robots" for example, as the traffic light is certainly not a robot, per the usual term. But here in Texas people call them "red lights" which I always ask, "What if the light is green?" as a joke.
We Americans tend to remove letters that aren't pronounced. The older spelling of "favourite" vs "favorite" is actually a lean towards Latin, as you well know. But the Brits also confuse us with their pronouncing words with letters left out, such as saying "shock" when they mean "shark" and somehow forget, ha ha, to pronounce the letter "r" a lot of times.
- Circling Turtle
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I guess my issue with South Africans saying 'trash' is I know that it's picked up from American TV. Haha I think we're one of the only countries to say robots though! It confuses visitors no end.
- moderntimes
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- Circling Turtle
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- moderntimes
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- bookowlie
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- moderntimes
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So your experience is fairly common, stopping.
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- moderntimes
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In science and technology, as you know, the metric system is used. More correctly, it's the "SI" system (Systeme Internationale) and the spelling is mostly taken from the British: metre, centimetre, and so on. And very rigid rules on punctuation as well. With most of these regulations based on British style.
When I got home and started to write my American mystery novels, I'd have to shift gears and reset my internal spellcheck for US style punctuation and typography, then the next morning, shift back into "international" style. Whew.
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The only time this has been an issue for me is in choosing books for my children.
- moderntimes
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So if I ever come across a novel that has typos, I might email the publisher or agent to let them know that there are errors extant. Many of the books I receive are galley proofs, those cheaply bound editions that are submitted to reviewers, and the final print edition will not have such errors.
hilary, as you review books, you've certainly seen these galley proof editions, which are typical for a reviewer to receive, as you well know. All reviewers receive galley proofs. Looking at one of them just now, the cheap binding is typical, and the note on the very plain cover: "This is an uncorrected galley proof. Not for resale. Any quotes for review must be checked against the finished book" and I'm sure that all reviewers see this a lot.
Regardless, I don't downgrade the review if there are typos or spelling errors. And of course, never for changes between Brit or US preferred typography. It's the publisher's job and the publisher's staff to make those changes anyway, not the author.
I'm now reviewing a very good modern thriller originally written in Swedish, for example. Because the print version I've been sent is intended for US audiences, the spelling is mostly US-preferred but I still see an occasional British usage. From reading the copyright page, the novel will also be released in England and apparently it was translated by a British resident, then re-set to US audiences as well. So there's a slight mixture of styles throughout. No way it's the author's fault. He wrote in Swedish and although he may speak some English he's likely not so fluent that he could write a novel in English. So the job of translating and American vs British usage is the publisher's job, not the author's. So even if I find some spelling differences, I'll overlook those completely in my review.
Let's face it -- reviews should focus only on the book itself, not the spelling or typography (those are the publisher's job) nor things like the book's binding or cover or other things. Reviews must overlook such flaws, or if mentioning them in the review, remark that it's the publisher's fault to make these mistakes, not the author. Right?
- cosmicamy
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who need gramma am right !
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