Re: [Lingo] British English

[Jim Breen <jimbreen@example.com>]

On 5 February 2011 02:33, CL <az.4tlug@example.com> wrote:

> Australians are the most difficult to write for because they can't seem
> to agree on spelling conventions from month-to-month

Once you discount the pernicious influence of commercial WPs, which
arrive set to the default YewEss spelling and most people don't know how
or can't be bothered changing, the main differences I see in spelling within
Australia are the ise/ize patterns (FWIW I'm an "ize" person.)
More of an issue are regional differences in vocabulary. Don't get me
started on the way Woolworths (HQ in Sydney) insist on labelling spring
onions as "shallots".  Then we have rockmelons vs cantaloupes, etc. etc.

Oh, and there's the labor/labour thing. The word is usually labour (unless
Whirred "corrects" it), but the party has been Labor since 1912 when the
legendary King O'Malley (who pretended to be a Canadian in order to qualify
for the franchise, but was actually an American*) got it changed.

> and fight over it
> more than Canadians

We do? I thought (and think) we have much more important things to
fight over.

> ..........  I blame Rupert Murdoch.

I do too.

> .... Then
> again, I blame Murdoch for everything I don't like about the publishing
> game.

I blame him for the weather, fires, everything. He's his father's son - both
shits of the first water(+). At least he's no longer a citizen.

Cheers

Jim

(*) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_O%27Malley
(+) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Murdoch


-- 
Jim Breen
Adjunct Snr Research Fellow, Clayton School of IT, Monash University
Vice-president: Hawthorn Rowing Club, Treasurer: Japanese Studies Centre
Graduate student: Language Technology Group, University of Melbourne