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Author Topic: why/when did US change "s" to "z"?  (Read 17004 times)

Jessica

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« on: May 27, 2006, 11:46:12 pm »
I've never really understood this.. does anyone really know?

words like personalise, realise, are spelled with a z instead of an s in the united states... why? i know we butchered the language but i just dont understand why we changed the spelling of things? also why did we get rid of the U in honour or colour ? i can't seem to find a good reason for it...
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Ghisy

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Re: why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2006, 12:43:07 am »
Quote from: "STARGiRL"
I've never really understood this.. does anyone really know?

words like personalise, realise, are spelled with a z instead of an s in the united states... why? i know we butchered the language but i just dont understand why we changed the spelling of things? also why did we get rid of the U in honour or colour ? i can't seem to find a good reason for it...

Well that's an interesting question!!
I found that: http://www.33beat.com/American_English.html
That explains some things, probably not everything though. ;)
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Ghisy
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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2006, 05:49:32 am »
I don't think there was a distinct time; it just sorta evolved. For example, "today" used to be spelled "to-day," etc.  Not to mention we've been separated from England for a few hundred years, and there has been an influx of other languages.  However, I am no language expert.
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TSE

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2006, 07:19:25 am »
On the link Ghisy posted:  Merry, marry, and marry are NOT said the same, at least by anyone I know.  Does anyone here do that?  HOW are they said?

How they're said in "these parts":  Merry like ferry, marry like carry, and Mary like dairy.
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unsungmelody

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2006, 07:28:16 am »
I think it's because we didn't want to be similar to the British after the Revolutionary War.

I'll go look it up later.
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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2006, 08:44:41 am »
Quote from: "TSE"
On the link Ghisy posted:  Merry, marry, and mary* are NOT said the same, at least by anyone I know.  Does anyone here do that?  HOW are they said?

How they're said in "these parts":  Merry like ferry, marry like carry, and Mary like dairy.

*my own edit.

Okay, now for the phonics portion of our show, C is going to show us how ANY of those sound different...

I pronounce merry, marry, and Mary the same along with ferry, carry, and dairy.
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zurielshimon

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2006, 10:28:22 pm »
For your information, the Americans did not change it.  Neither did they change "colour" to "color".  In Spanish, to realize is "realizar", as is virtually any other word ending in "ize" in American English.  I believe the British lean more toward French etymology where the Americans lean more toward bypassing the French and going straight for Latin.  Of course, if you're still looking for an answer as to why that is, I guess I could finger Noah Webster, who put it into print big-time back in the early days of an America finding its own way in the world.

And by the way, "marry", "merry", and "Mary" sound identical to me.  So do "wail" and "whale", but not "well".  But "chock" and "chalk" are very noticibly different, as are "dawn" and "don".  It actually bothers me when someone pronounces them to where I can't tell the difference.
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rosieposy87

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2006, 06:41:23 am »
Quote from: "unsungmelody"
I think it's because we didn't want to be similar to the British after the Revolutionary War.

I'll go look it up later.


Lmao, thats absolutely hilarious. What do you think they did? Sat around and said 'ooh i know what we could do to make ourselves different to that lot, let's change S to Z in every word'? I think not.
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Gingernut

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2006, 07:03:57 am »
Quote from: "rosieposy87"
Quote from: "unsungmelody"
I think it's because we didn't want to be similar to the British after the Revolutionary War.

I'll go look it up later.


Lmao, thats absolutely hilarious. What do you think they did? Sat around and said 'ooh i know what we could do to make ourselves different to that lot, let's change S to Z in every word'? I think not.


You forgot to miss alot of U's out :D
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LimeTwister

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2006, 10:16:09 am »
Quote from: "rosieposy87"
Quote from: "unsungmelody"
I think it's because we didn't want to be similar to the British after the Revolutionary War.

I'll go look it up later.


Lmao, thats absolutely hilarious. What do you think they did? Sat around and said 'ooh i know what we could do to make ourselves different to that lot, let's change S to Z in every word'? I think not.



Duh!  lol
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Will

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2006, 12:32:14 pm »
Blame Noah Webster.
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unsungmelody

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2006, 02:46:28 pm »
I didn't really believe that, but my History teacher just said that and the entire class just took it in.  :oops:

But Will's right. You do have to blame Noah Webster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_english#Differences_between_British_English_and_American_English
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MeganJane

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2006, 10:55:07 pm »
Quote
On the link Ghisy posted: Merry, marry, and marry are NOT said the same, at least by anyone I know. Does anyone here do that? HOW are they said?

How they're said in "these parts": Merry like ferry, marry like carry, and Mary like dairy.


Same here, in Australia (and no, we don't talk like "Australians" do in the movies.... at least not in Adelaide... movies with fake Australians make me cringe... their accents are HIDEOUS!)



Quote
Okay, now for the phonics portion of our show, C is going to show us how ANY of those sound different...

I pronounce merry, marry, and Mary the same along with ferry, carry, and dairy.


Well, I had an American friend who couldn't pronounce another friend's name, which is Cary. Her name sounds the same as "carry". But the American friend said it like "Kerry", with an "eh" sound after the C. When we told her it was Cary like "Carry", with an "a" sound as in "cat", she argued that it is the same and she couldn't even hear a difference, and got shitty with us. So...? I'm confused because Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City is pronounced "Carry" on the show, but some characters occasionally call her "Kerry". It's so confusing. I mean, I've never heard anyone say "I'm KERRYing a baby" or "I have a pet CET" or anything like that. (Although maybe New Zealanders might say it like that...?) Hmmm. What's the deal with that?
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LimeTwister

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #13 on: June 02, 2006, 03:23:27 am »
I say Carry and Kerry the same...

Not like "cat" though...It's the same name with different spelling.
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Will

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why/when did US change "s" to "z"?
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2006, 06:21:43 am »
Quote from: "TSE"
On the link Ghisy posted:  Merry, marry, and Mary are NOT said the same, at least by anyone I know.


Native Californians pronounce all three the same way.
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