I suppose so. He or whoever should have thought how much simpler things would be down the road to just stick with the British spellings!

Like kaddarsgirl said, and to me as well, those A's, O's, and U's are extraneous. I even used an example of a British spelling of a word with the mall I go to...and I am in Texas...quite a distance from the Canadian border.

I believe young Noah had a point to make about a fresh start for a new nation, and not being fettered by the conventions of the colonial masters.

Apart from tha alumninum/aluminium all the words quoted are pronounced the same. But I have noticed whilst watching things like Survivor that the Americans pronounce Bouy as something like boooo-ee as opposed to my pronouciation as boy.

It must make the joke about the seagull landing on the floating object and singing if You were the only gull in the world and I the only bouy sound strange.

One small one that I have noticed is the word 'herb'. It seems to have a silent 'h' in the States, but not here.

I've never heard that seagull joke. Also, we even spell it differently... Buoy.

I've pronounced it both ways; just depends on my mood or where it is used in a sentence.

I've always said it BOO-ee. And the only time I would pronounce the "h" in "herb" is if it was a proper name (I know a guy named Herb (HERb)), otherwise I always say "ERB"...

I reckon that KFC has eleven secret Herbs, not (h)erbs, and spices, although I often use (h)erbs in my own cooking. I pronounce buoy as boo-ee, but buoyant as boy-ant. Consistency is everything. )D

Yes, boy-ant, and boo-ee.

Oh English, how we love you so.

Does anyone know how that started? I can understand it being 'boo-oi', but how does 'oy' become 'ee'? I've learned something new, as the only pronunciation I've ever heard is 'boy' Maybe that shows I've never watched 'Baywatch'.

I am assuming that ASA has made a typo unless the Australians have changed their spelling, it is buoy in the UK too.

How about a compromise - "BOO OY" for "buoy"?

I also pronounce buoyant as "boy-ant".


As a side note: how to you all pronounce either? I say both ee-ther and eye-ther depending on the situation/how I'm feeling.

When it's "either way" I go "ee-ther". I say "eye-ther" when it's just "either". Generally "eye-ther", though.

I pronounce them "boy-ant" and "boo-ee", too.

Most everyone I know says ee-ther and nee-ther. They don't like that I'm the only one who says eye-ther and nye-ther.

Let's call the whole thing off....

From what I have been told, the coastal areas are more apt to pronounce either and neither with an "I" sound, whereas the central US pronounces it with an "E" sound. I pronounce it with an "E" sound myself.

Just buy your beau a buoyant buoy for the Bayonne bayou and put it away for safekeeping in the bureau. (There is a bizarre Bazaar pun in the pun thread)

Hmm.. never really thought about it, but I think I tend to say ee-ther, and nye-ther.

While he was at it, dropping what he considered to be superfluous letters from the written English language, why didn't he remove the 'h' from the end of his given name?

No-ah dea. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)