Canadian spelling, eh?

Monday, November 2, 2009

posted by Sue Heuman Share

Last week there was a news story about the use of American spelling in Alberta classrooms. Naturally, most of the people interviewed for the story felt that Canadian spelling should taught in schools. After all, language is an important part of our culture. Besides beavers, moose and Mounties, nothing is more Canadian than our own version of the English language.
We maintain our identity through language, such as our pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet (always zed, never zee), our quirky way of saying “aboot” instead of “abowt” and writing cheques (not checks) to pay bills. As we speak with, and write to, one another we recognize those words that separate us from other English-speaking countries. There may not be many, but those words and spellings are significant distinguishing factors that help reinforce our "Canadian-ness."
So if you have school-aged children, and this issue is important to you, talk to the teacher. Let him or her know that you want your child to learn Canadian spelling. You’ll be doing us all a favour, neighbour, by maintaining our labour of love for Canadian spelling, eh? Colour me red and white!
 

 

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