Friday update and duscussions 2011-02-18

[major_setback]

Originally Posted by Richie

I wonder why English started to change when we came over to North America? Centre center zed zee etc...Of topic I better shut up.

The Centre to Center change was implicated by Webster (of dictionary fame). He had some very odd ideas when it came to spelling. Some of them stayed with us, others didn't. (He changed Aluminium to Aluminum in USA too, and also changed the American pronunciation of 'schedule' to 'skedule', and Luitenant to 'lefftenant').

Lots of old English terms were kept by Americans, but sound strange now to our English ears...but they are actually older English terms...such as ''sidewalk.
...And the term 'gotten' : I only found out today that it is old English (from Bill Bryson's 'Mother Tongue'). It is a term we British have not used for a long time, but Americans have preserved.