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I don't think that's right, or at least maybe not for the colonies. I grew up in New Zealand and my mother was very insistent that I spelled and spoke "Proper
by toomanybeersies 7y ago
I don't think that's right, or at least maybe not for the colonies.
I grew up in New Zealand and my mother was very insistent that I spelled and spoke "Proper English", rather than American English. This was before Microsoft Word was popular and the source of truth for the English language, especially for my tech-illiterate mother. She also didn't like me using slang, especially the Kiwi tendency to say "sweet as" and put "aye" on the end of sentences.
Maybe it's a colonial hangover, trying to hold on to the British identity, or maybe it's because she had a less privileged upbringing and saw "Proper English" as a sign of higher status.
- docdeek 7y agoMy experience in Australia was similar: always the ’s’ for Australian/British English, with the ‘z’ for American English. Well before spellcheckers, save for the teacher or parent who would spell-check your work and catch every organization and specialized, and correct your alphabet song to finish with ‘zed’ and never ‘zee’. :)
- kjcharles 7y agoI think it is a colonial hangover. It's the same in former British colonies in the Caribbean. We're thought "Proper English" in school and the American spellings are considered wrong. Local dialects are frowned upon in professional settings and writing.
- ycombinete 7y agoI can confirm that South African education was the same as well, before word processors.