Invasion of the spelling snatchers

In case you hadn't noticed, there's an invasion going on. It's happening very quietly and, unlike previous occasions involving William the Conqueror and Hitler no-one seems to be doing anything about it. In fact we seem almost oblivious to it. This time it's the Americans who are the invaders and perhaps it's because we regard them as friends that we're letting them get away with it. Or perhaps it's because this is not a military invasion but a gentle takeover by computer.

Back in the 1700s, when the colonists decided to stop paying their taxes to King George, it started a war. But now, in the early years of the 21st century the descendants of those same colonists are trying to subvert our language. Insidiously, and without so much as a "by-your-leave" the enemy amongst us is targeting our spelling and no-one seems the slightest bit bothered.

British spelling does tend to be idiosyncratic, it's true; but it's ours and we like it that way. For example, things we like are called "favourites" and we like to spell the word that way even though the American spelling is a little more logical.

Often, when we see something British being threatened there are marches and occasionally riots. At the very least there is lively debate. Yet here, apparently without a murmur of discontent, we are happily letting an entire generation of children sit and stare at the spelling "favorites". It's there, at the top of their computer screens the entire time they are browsing the Internet and not a word of protest is heard. Every time they click on it, the American spelling is reinforced so that by now there is probably an entire generation of children who see it as normal. How long before the "u" is officially dropped by the Oxford English dictionary? It can only be a matter of time.

Reg Connelly writes on his website, "My sister pointed out that I had incorrectly spelt 'programme'. In her mind it should be spelt 'program'. Where she works computers are workhorses and the staff are not interested in customising the programmes. Subtleties like changing the defaults are ignored. As a result she and her colleagues have been using American spell-checkers for so long they think the American way is correct."

In classrooms all over the UK, we place correct spellings in front of our children - on the wall, in spelling books, and in tests and quizzes. Even the BBC helps with programmes like Words and Pictures and you can extend it using Logotron's Words and Pictures Alphabet Pack A-Z. (that's a "zed" by the way, not a "zee").

We constantly try to expose our children to the look and shape of words - until it comes to computers. Then, suddenly and without demur, we seem to develop a total blind spot and we allow Microsoft to push incorrect spellings right into the faces of our children and we don't bat an eyelid.

For example, we teach them how consonants double up in the past tense of words like "travelled" and "cancelled" yet when they click the Stop button before a web page has begun loading, they are shown the incorrectly spelled phrase "Action canceled" and not a word of complaint is heard.

When we write, things are a little better. Using Word, you can select the UK English dictionary. It means that when you type "color" it is at least marked as incorrect. Children are pointed in the right direction. But the American dictionary is still there, lurking in the background, waiting to pounce. Sometimes, for reasons best known to itself, it will declare itself to be the default and suddenly all your British spellings become underlined with a wavy red line. If this has never happened to you, you are very lucky. But if you're a child, would you even know it had happened? If color, traveled and offense are not marked as incorrect a valuable learning opportunity has been lost. And since computer printouts are more likely to be added to a wall display than marked with traditional red ink, the lost opportunity can be turned into a reinforcement of error.

Why can't we remove that American dictionary? Why does a PC purchased in the UK even have an American dictionary it in the first place? It will never be used. Why can't we buy a PC in a UK shop and by turning a key remove all trace of American spelling from it?

The best way to avoid this trap is to use British software. Invariably, software produced for the British market contains correct spellings. When you buy Logotron software, for instance, you can be sure that it has been designed for British children and will present them with British spellings, accents and sentence constructions. In Early Essentials, for example, the child who speaks the menus does not say "gotten" or refer to "erbs". And Logotron School Office defaults to a full UK English dictionary.

But even so, the invasion continues at a deeper level. The very operating system parades its foreign spellings. It is Windows itself that places the dreaded "favorites" in front of our children day in and day out. And every error message thrown up by the system contains American spellings. The French don't have this problem, nor do the Greeks or the Russians because they have their own versions of Windows.

But here in the UK, because we can read American English, we don't seem to see the need for a UK version of Windows. And so the damage to our children continues and it seems likely that within a generation American English will have largely replaced our uniquely idiosyncratic British spellings.

And in case you think it only applies to a few words just have a look at a list of common words which our two great nations choose to spell differently.