Friday, February 6, 2009

You're not in Manchester, mate


I just got an invitation from Nordstrom to experience the new MAC Cosmetics Hello Kitty collection. While Hello Kitty will undoubtedly merit its own rant at some point, I was more irked by the fact that I was invited to be “one of the first to see the looks, colours, and accessories of this exclusive limited-edition collection.” Um, colours? While I know that MAC was founded in Toronto, the last time I checked, this was the US of A and Ontario had not been joined the union as our 51st state.

What I'm trying to say is that your spelling don’t play here. Confused? Let me give you a little spelling lesson. It’s color, not colour; harbor, not harbour; analyze, not analyse; center, not centre; and theater, not theatre. Unless you are Hugh Bloody Grant, back away from the extra “u” and the “re”. If you don’t like the way Merriam-Webster and I spell, move to the UK or Canada and spend all your savings on an OED, you pretentious sot.

Get with the program(me) or I’m going to drive my fist into your Anglophile face and let your universal health care pick up the tab.

Are there any other Anglo-cized words that drive you batty?

6 comments:

alisten@mac.com said...

Well, we did steal (and in may ways ruin) their language, but I'm an Anglophile. I'm more tweaked by the American marketing speak that has dumbed down everything (Toys 'R Us etc.)

Anonymous said...

I have just found your blog and I agree with everything you have written. Except this one. Okay I am Canadian, but regardless the language is called English, not American. It't not that I am so committed to extra u's in everything, I just feel perhaps a little flexibility might be called for.

Anonymous said...

I agree with everything so far in this blog...but this one. American bastardisation (YEAH! With an S!) of a perfectly lovely language really gets me going. My (least) favourite, donut...that really pisses me off....
But as Alisten said, it's the dumming of marketing-speak that I find far more offensive.
Light is spelled light, 'diet' things are NOT LITE for God's sake, it doesn't matter what side of the boarder you're from LITE is not a word in the English language, in fact if you look it up it is referred to as a MISspelling of light, so screw you Michelobe.

Pheww, that felt great! Thanks for the release.

chad said...

Well, I don't know if this counts, but I hate being around other Americans in foreign countries that all of a sudden have to refer to the U.S. as "The States". I'm here in the states now and don't call it "The States" and neither do you. One knuckle sandwich coming up.

Andrea said...

Aluminium.

Kitty said...

'Are there any other Anglo-cized words that drive you batty?'

I'm sorry, but they aren't Anglo-cized. You guys have Americanised the English language. The extra letters are the original spelling.

It's actually the missing letters that irk me. And your muddled up words. That 'biscuit' is called a scone!