Chase

11. While the British struggled to order a language many thought crude and barbaric, the American colonies in the mid-1700s progressively rejected anything British, including the language. Only by a narrow margin was English selected as the official language of the states over German. The spelling, punctuation, and grammar here were notoriously chaotic.

Noah Webster was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and proudly patriotic. For example, his dictionary purged the “u” from colour and honour and changed around the final letters in centre and theatre. He also wanted thru instead of through and tung rather than tongue, but many of his changes were rejected by patrons.

However, the dictionary and grammar guide which emerged simplified the rules and satisfied publishers, though many Tory-minded schools were slow to teach the differences. Today, all major U.S. publications and the majority of publishers in Canada use the “American” system for over 75% of the world’s commercial printed matter.