Hunter Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I grew up bouncing between the USA and a British colony. I read both American and British literature in both countries. I was a natural speller attending schools with pretty low expectations for kids from the neighborhoods I often lived in, and was left to mostly educate myself while in the USA. So my spelling is a hodgepodge of both systems. I keep entertaining the idea of really "fixing" my spelling and other times I just don't care. Today, I received my used copy of the Kate Greenway illustrated The English Spelling Book? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849310769/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Is this still in print in the UK? It is a dear little book. Why did Noah Webster write a different dictionary? Somehow, as a kid, I think I acquired the idea that Webster wrote the first major dictionary, not the first one with American spelling. And I now know that his speller came out later than The English Spelling Book. We had fewer books in the colony because of the mold, so reference books and big libraries were not the norm there. I mainly saw dictionaries in the USA. And in junior high, I had a pocket dictionary that went back and forth with me and I don't know which spelling it was. And didn't even notice that might be a problem. :confused1: What was the point of rewriting books that were obviously top notch books? I have seen pdfs of a North American speller modeled after The English Spelling book, but have never found a decent pdf or republished copy. I have seen history books calling Webster an American hero. What am I missing? How is he a hero to just rewrite perfectly good books with a different spelling, and sometimes inferior content. Personally, unless someone explains something new to me, I'd like to go back in time and shoot the guy in his writing hand. Are all KJV bibles British spelling? I dont think they are. And I dont think they are labeled as one or the other. Copywork is a pain in the butt when switching back and forth. And I often cannot recognize when a word is only spelled a certain way in the UK or the USA. I'm kind of all over the place with this post. Sorry. I'm in "writing to learn" mode right now. And just want to say. I like The English Spelling book loads better than the Blueback Speller! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 We blame a lot on Webster. In our home he is a villain. I would never have known much about him except in trying to teach a son with dyslexia how to read and spell English I learned a lot more about American English than I ever wanted to. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My oldest son always was using Tolkien for copy work so I feel your pain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 I cannot find out which spelling(s) the KJV Bible uses. I don't have a Strong's Concordance; which does it use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 If I search this online Strong's, it shows results for "colour" but not "color". http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I would think British since it was commissioned by King James. I don't know why it would be American. The New King James versions I'm assuming are printed in both depending on who is printing or whom they are for. My NKJV has "honor" in it not "honour" for example. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Another "colour" and not "color" site. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=Colour I'm wondering if I have had American spelling KJV and just didn't notice one way or the other. Strong was American, but he would have needed to match the Bible, which I'm assuming are usually British. I'm wondering if we have 2 versions of Strong's. It is hard to google this as all the sites about "modern" spelling pop up. Yes, but WHICH modern spelling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Numbers 11:7 is likely to be "color" or "colour" in any version. It is "color in my Good News Bible by American Bible Society. I know this version is a big seller in the UK. I'll bet there are British spelling Good News Bibles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Yes, there is a British version of the GNB. Numbers 11:7 uses "colour". https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/explore-the-bible/read/eng/GNB/Num/11/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 I really wish he had let England set the standards. Really. They were fine standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 I went to a bookstore and looked at KJV Bibles. Every one I looked at had British spelling, even the American publishers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.