Why in Canada is meter spelled metre?

[roadman65]

In Canada a meter is a metre.  Kilometer is kilometre.

Even Harbor is spelled H-A-R-B-O-U-R.

Why is spelling so different for the same language?

[kalvado]

Because illiterate rednecks don't know how to spell words like aluminium, sulphur, colour, metre...

[hotdogPi]

It should be spelled "metre" so that it can be distinguished from things like parking meters (which are still "meter").

[Scott5114]

You have Webster's Dictionary to thank for that.

Noah Webster, the author of the readers' and spelling books which dominated the American market at the time, spent decades of research in compiling his dictionaries. His first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, appeared in 1806. In it, he popularized features which would become a hallmark of American English spelling (center rather than centre, honor rather than honour, program rather than programme, etc.) and included technical terms from the arts and sciences rather than confining his dictionary to literary words. Webster was a proponent of English spelling reform for reasons both philological and nationalistic. In A Companion to the American Revolution (2008), John Algeo notes: "it is often assumed that characteristically American spellings were invented by Noah Webster. He was very influential in popularizing certain spellings in America, but he did not originate them. Rather [. . .] he chose already existing options such as center, color and check on such grounds as simplicity, analogy or etymology." In William Shakespeare's First Folios, for example, spellings such as center and color are the most common. He spent the next two decades working to expand his dictionary.

[LilianaUwU]

In Canada a meter is a metre.  Kilometer is kilometre.

Even Harbor is spelled H-A-R-B-O-U-R.

Why is spelling so different for the same language?

Of course the American would think we're weird for spelling things the right way.

[Scott5114]

In Canada a meter is a metre.  Kilometer is kilometre.

Even Harbor is spelled H-A-R-B-O-U-R.

Why is spelling so different for the same language?

Of course the American would think we're weird for spelling things the right way.

Hey. Hey.

Hey.

Look at me.

Exactly what sound does the U in "harbour" make?

[CtrlAltDel]

In Canada a meter is a metre.  Kilometer is kilometre.

Even Harbor is spelled H-A-R-B-O-U-R.

Why is spelling so different for the same language?

Of course the American would think we're weird for spelling things the right way.

You may want to speak to your ambassadour about these errours. The horrour of their inferiour tenour has undoubtedly caused you a tremour.

[Road Hog]

Also coincidentally, "metre" is spelled the same in both English and French in bilingual Canada.

[CtrlAltDel]

Also coincidentally, "metre" is spelled the same in both English and French in bilingual Canada.

In French, there's an accent, though: un mètre.

[Chris]

Non-native English speakers in Europe use British English and American English interchangeably. British English is taught at schools but American English has a greater cultural influence.

A number of European languages use 'kilometer' natively (Dutch, German, Nordic languages, Hungarian, some Slavic languages). Romance languages use 'kilometre' or equivalent, while most other Slavic languages use 'kilometr'.

Another interesting thing is 'mil' (mile) in Swedish and Norwegian. This is a unit of length, measuring 10 kilometers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_mile

[TheHighwayMan3561]

British heritage and American influence create the weird mix. Canada does use the American -ize spellings rather than the British -ise, but uses the British "offence" and "defence" in some circumstances.

Z is pronounced the Commonwealth "zed".

[Big John]

Another interesting thing is 'mil' (mile) in Swedish and Norwegian. This is a unit of length, measuring 10 kilometers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_mile

If I saw "mil", I wound think millimeter.

[hotdogPi]

Another interesting thing is 'mil' (mile) in Swedish and Norwegian. This is a unit of length, measuring 10 kilometers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_mile

If I saw "mil", I wound think millimeter.

Nope. It's 1/1000 of an inch. You'll sometimes see it for thickness of paper or aluminum foil.

[kalvado]

You have Webster's Dictionary to thank for that.

Noah Webster, the author of the readers' and spelling books which dominated the American market at the time, spent decades of research in compiling his dictionaries. His first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, appeared in 1806. In it, he popularized features which would become a hallmark of American English spelling (center rather than centre, honor rather than honour, program rather than programme, etc.) and included technical terms from the arts and sciences rather than confining his dictionary to literary words. Webster was a proponent of English spelling reform for reasons both philological and nationalistic. In A Companion to the American Revolution (2008), John Algeo notes: "it is often assumed that characteristically American spellings were invented by Noah Webster. He was very influential in popularizing certain spellings in America, but he did not originate them. Rather [. . .] he chose already existing options such as center, color and check on such grounds as simplicity, analogy or etymology." In William Shakespeare's First Folios, for example, spellings such as center and color are the most common. He spent the next two decades working to expand his dictionary.

Or there is a story of how Aluminum came to be. And a story of gray and grey both supported in programming languages because HP engineers were uncertain of correct spelling.

[jgb191]

Don't the British speak the real English?  We Americans just took their language and twisted it into our version.

Speaking of English differences, my personal favorite:
USA:  Sneakers
Canada:  Runners
UK:  Trainers
NZ:  Joggers

Having said that, I wonder if you hypothetically had an American, a Canadian, an Irish, a Brit, a New Zealander, and an Aussie all in the same room for a meeting, what that meeting might sound like.

[Max Rockatansky]

There are some pretty substantial differences in almost every language that is spoken in multiple geographic locations.  The Spanish that is spoken in Spain isn't a one-for-one carry over with that is spoken in the Americans.  Even in the Americas there is a lot of regional differences. 

[kalvado]

Don't the British speak the real English?  We Americans just took their language and twisted it into our version.

Speaking of English differences, my personal favorite:
USA:  Sneakers
Canada:  Runners
UK:  Trainers
NZ:  Joggers

Having said that, I wonder if you hypothetically had an American, a Canadian, an Irish, a Brit, a New Zealander, and an Aussie all in the same room for a meeting, what that meeting might sound like.

Something like this maybe?
https://youtu.be/NMS2VnDveP8

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Don't the British speak the real English?  We Americans just took their language and twisted it into our version.

Speaking of English differences, my personal favorite:
USA:  Sneakers

There are also regional differences within the US on these. I've never called everyday shoes of this kind anything but "tennis shoes". "Sneakers" to me refer to specialized shoes only worn in the gym and not generally worn in daily life.

[Scott5114]

There are some pretty substantial differences in almost every language that is spoken in multiple geographic locations.  The Spanish that is spoken in Spain isn't a one-for-one carry over with that is spoken in the Americans.  Even in the Americas there is a lot of regional differences. 

Some languages have tried to avoid this by establishing some kind of official language authority organization which purports to be the last word in how the language is to be spoken. Problem is they invariably come up with dumb rules like "'email' is not a word in our language and the proper way to say it is 'mail that is electronic'" and everyone ends up ignoring them. So then instead of having four regional dialects you have four regional dialects and a fifth official one that nobody actually speaks.

[CtrlAltDel]

Don't the British speak the real English?

Oh my, no.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

There's no such thing as a "real" language. It's always been adapted and conformed by the people using them over millennia.

[jgb191]

Regional differences...does that mean that if a life-long New Yorker and a life-long Californian were to meet up, then they might still not quite understand each other??

LA-speaker: "That's a hella sandwich you got there!"
NY-speaker: "This isn't a sandwich; it's a hoagie."
LA-speaker: "What's a hoagie?"

[Max Rockatansky]

Regional differences...does that mean that if a life-long New Yorker and a life-long Californian were to meet up, then they might still not quite understand each other??

LA-speaker: "That's a the sandwich you got there!"
NY-speaker: "This isn't a sandwich; it's a hoagie."
LA-speaker: "What's a the hoagie?"

Fixed for actual California-speak accuracy.

[jgb191]

The Spanish that is spoken in Spain isn't a one-for-one carry over with that is spoken in the Americans.  Even in the Americas there is a lot of regional differences. 

Los Angeles Spanish-speaker (Mexican-influenced) vs Miami Spanish-speaker (Cuban-influenced) meet-up would be intriguing.

[Brandon]

Don't the British speak the real English?  We Americans just took their language and twisted it into our version.

Speaking of English differences, my personal favorite:
USA:  Sneakers
Canada:  Runners
UK:  Trainers
NZ:  Joggers

Having said that, I wonder if you hypothetically had an American, a Canadian, an Irish, a Brit, a New Zealander, and an Aussie all in the same room for a meeting, what that meeting might sound like.

Speak for yourself.  They're "tennis shoes" or "gym shoes" here.

Now, I think I'll have a pop.