Mind your S’s and U’s!
It’s an interesting world when you have to reset your Canadianism’s to fit into an American manuscript! As I am working my way through my first run as an Entangled Publishing author, I’ve discovered there are a lot of steps involved in getting a book ready for publishing–especially for a Canadian.
I have always been told that to break into the US publishing market, you need to target your manuscript to the audience. Alberta becomes Montana. It’s not the RCMP, it’s a sheriff. There are no kilometres or centimetres, it’s miles and inches. Plus there are all the completely Canadian words that automatically leave our heads when we draft a book that someone south of the Canadian boarder may not even remotely understand. Going to the store for a bag of milk. Wanting to find a bank machine. Sitting on a chesterfield. Putting on your running shoes. Drawing pictures with pencil crayons.
| CANADIAN | AMERICAN |
| Chesterfield | Couch or sofa |
| Bank machine | ATM |
| Runners or running shoes | Sneakers or tennis shoes |
| Pop | Soda |
| Grade nine | Ninth grade |
| Housecoat | Bathrobe |
| Knapsack | Backpack |
| Toque | Knit hat |
| Elastic | Rubber band |
The hardest learning curve for me has come at the expense of my Canadian spell check.
The following list are the most common words I have to remember to re-spell:
| ITEM | CANADIAN | AMERICAN |
| U’s | Colour, Neighbour, Flavour, Odour | Color, Neighbor, Flavor, Odor |
| extra S’s | Backwards, Forwards, Towards | Backward, Forward, Toward |
| RE vs ER | Meagre, Fibre, Theatre, Centre | Meager, Fiber, Theater Center |
| Q vs C | Barbeque, Cheque | Barbecue, Check |
| Double L | Jewellery, Travelled, Levelled | Jewelry, Traveled, Leveled |
| T vs ED | Dreamt, Burnt | Dreamed, Burned |
| OUGE vs OG | Analogue, Dialogue, Catalogue | Analog, Dialog, Catalog |
| Extras | Pyjamas, Moustache, Grey, Vice | Pajamas, Mustache, Gray, Vise |
There are so many other words that my spellcheck glazes right over. Unfortunately, because I have to continue to use Canadian spelling for my client projects, I can’t just replace my dictionary, so I have to make a conscious effort to remember to search for the big ones, and pray for patience from the editing team to catch the ones I miss!