-z-

Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours:

How to Feel Good About Canadian English

a new book by Joe Clark about Canadian spelling

Yes, Canadians have our own spelling. The basic facts are right there in the title: We write organize with a Z (like Americans), marvellous with two Ls (like the British, but only sometimes), and neighbour with a U (also like the British).

Canadian spelling is tricky and easy to get wrong. But the book reveals the results of new, original research – into everything from newspaper articles to court rulings to literature to blogs – that Canadian spelling is well accepted, well practised (not “practiced”), and stable. Except there’s one little fly in the ointment: Your spellchecker will steer you wrong every time unless you already know all the rules by heart. After you read the book, you will know those rules.

This is a book that will give you confidence to write Canadian English well and correctly (that is, the way everyone else does) – not only on your grocery list and in your Christmas cards, but also in every computer document you’ll ever write. That means in word processing, on your blog, in your chat window, on Twitter, everywhere.

Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours is an E-book, an electronic book you can read in a Web browser. Or you can print it out, via a PDF that’s custom-made for comfortable reading on the bus or at the coffee shop. (There’s also a quick cheatsheet that you can tack up on the walls of your cubicle.) The book is accessible, there’s no DRM, and the copyright licence is generous. You can download and use the raw data that went into the book. It’s affordable, and you can even get part of your money back if you find a mistake.