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 |   A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
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Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end. So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.     |
| Compromise Being a Brit but living in the States has its difficulties. Which language should I write in, for instance, English or American? The main difference between them is spelling and a choice has to be made or the result will be a terrible mixture with both sides yelling at me that I can’t spell. I solved this initially by writing in American as a gesture of gratitude to my new country. But, when I joined WdC, I decided to return to the spelling of my homeland. I figured (in itself an American expression) that I’d paid my dues and really needed the ease and relaxation that the spelling hammered into me in my youth offered. Surely, I thought, being now amongst my fellow educated and sophisticated writers, they would understand my foreign spelling and smile knowingly at me. And so it has proved. There are, however, certain words that have two forms, one being common on one side of the Atlantic, the other being preferred in its counterpart. The matter of “toward” and “towards,” for instance. I’m told that “toward” has become the standard in the States, whereas we Brits use both but have a slight preference for “towards.” Should I stick to my decision and use “towards,” or should I avoid being constantly told that it wasn’t used in America anymore by accepting “toward” as my accepted expression? I opted for the latter solution as the Brits won’t even notice my choice. And I will probably go for the American opinion on other optional forms in future. Anything for a quiet life. Word count: 263 |
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