AMERICAN SPELLING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144856, 7 December 1915, Page 8

AMERICAN SPELLING.

SCHOOL CHILDREN CONFUSED. WELLINGTON, Nor. 27. Tho tendency to favour American spelling, which has begn noticeable the New Zealand Education Department, dobs not meet with the approval of tho Wellington College Board of Governors, For instance, objection was taken to-day to the department’s affection for the word “program.”.’ The 1 abandonment of “programnjo” from tho department’s dictionary, and tho jettisoning of some oilier forms of spelling are likely to cause confusion in the minds of school children when tho master insists on one way and the School Journal on another way of spelling one word. Mr. Ward, a member of the College Board of Governors, yesterday resented this following of American forms of spoiling. Tho last official syllabus dealing with spelling methods came into force early last year, and has been in force ever since. It directs the teachers to use “any form of spelling authorised by the Oxford English .Dictionary,” but recommends that in general where that authority gives a choice “tho more phonetic form shall bo given preference.” It may be noted t,hat the Oxford English Dictionary Ls an enormous and expensive work in many volumes, and is quite beyond the means or the requirements any ordinary school teacher. There is a greatly condensed version, however, in the preface of which the editors explain their spelling system thus;— “The spoiling adopted is for tho most part that of tho Oxford English Dictionary. For instance, tho verbs that contain tho suffix ‘-izo,’ and their derivatives in ‘-ization/ otc., aro all given without tho alternative forms in ‘-iso,’ although these are still the commoner in British (as opposed to American) printing; nut such generally established spellings as ‘judgment,’ ‘rhyme,’ ‘axe, have not been excluded in favour of ‘rime, 1 ‘ax,’ preferred by tho Oxford English Dictionary, but are retained at least as alternatives having tho right to exist.” Elsewhere they say; “In words of tho tvpo ‘ardour.’ ‘colour,’ ‘favour/ where t)io Oxford English Dictionary recognises both ‘-our’ and ‘-or/ we have excluded tho latter as being (except, in particular words, like ‘horror’ and ‘torpor,’ in which it is usually tho only form) entirely non-British. Tho Education Department further recommends such words as “rime,” “program,” and “plow,” together with tho omission of the “u” in words like “honour,” and tho use of “-izo” rather than “•iso.”

A leading school teacher, when asked about the matter this morning, said that under tho syllabus the teachers wore given a good deal of latitude, and used. it mostly in favour of tho older ways of spelling, as opposed to tho American. Tho department, however, used tho latter in the School yournal, and tho discrepancies between this and tho ordinary school reader had to bo explained to the children, who were taught that tho new spelling forms were not to he considered wrong. Ho had. not found that much confusion had arisen, and it did not. seem that the American forms were likely to become at all common.

[Those who wish to have some conclusive authority on spoiling cannot do belter, than supply themselves with tho “Authors’ and Printers’ Dictionary,” which gives tho best spelling for all doubtful words, with no alternative spellings. The book costs Is not.]