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Many of the major European languages have had extensive reforms within the
last hundred odd years; cutting out the accumulated dead wood, curing
inconsistencies, simplifying spelling and the like. English seems to be an
exception, and not because it isn't needed. American English received some
rather more modest reforms proposed by Benjamin Franklin and they seem
sensible ones, on the whole.
However other English speaking nations (like England!) declined to adopt
them. Australian English follows British English, mostly, but I think this
is slowly changing in favour of American. One reason is the spell checkers
of computers 'correct' British spellings despite promising otherwise.
Another is the fact that many text books at tertiary level are American. So
there is some confusion. Such is my own case. On the whole I use the
spellings of standard English but have adopted some of Franklin's reforms,
although this is admittedly inconsistent.
Am still a bit puzzled by 'shew'. Not only is it unfamiliar, but it sounds
positively Elizabethan?!
> From: Gordon Talge
> I would like to get a little input.
> Quote:
> I use British spelling so I end my verbs in "ise" rather than
> "ize". I use the ending "our" rather than "or" (as in "colour")
> and I use the correct spelling "shew" rather than "show".
