What kind of English should be used in an international context?
* Standard U.S. English (en-US)
en-US spellings: labor, center, traveling, program, aluminum and defense.
The spellings -ize and -yze are used: organize, analyze.
Examples of international use: en-US is predominantly used by the Bretton Woods Institutions (International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the NAFTA Secretaritat and the Organization of American States.
* Standard U.K. English (with -ise spellings, en-GB)
en-GB spellings: labour, centre, travelling, programme (computer program is an exception), aluminium and defence.
The spellings -ise and -yse are used: organise, analyse.
Examples of international use: en-GB is predominantly used by the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Commonwealth Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations, the International Olympic Committee, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Transparency International and Greenpeace.
* OED English (en-GB-oed):
en-GB-oed follows the first spelling variant presented in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The Oxford English Dictionary, published by the Oxford University Press, is widely regarded as the most authoritative English language dictionary. en-GB-oed is the registered IANA language tag for OED English.
en-GB-oed spellings: labour, centre, travelling, programme (computer program is an exception), aluminium and defence.
The spellings -ize and -yse and used: organize, analyse. The OED, contrary to common U.K. usage, prefers -ize spellings over -ise spellings. At first glance, en-GB-oed might seem to be a minor deviation from common U.K. spelling. However, words ending in -ize and -ization are very common: realize, organize, recognize, apologize, authorize, organization, civilization, generalization, globalization. Words like analyse and paralyse ending in -yse are not changed into analyze and paralyze, which are both U.S. spellings.
Examples of international use: en-GB-oed is used (predominantly) by the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Telecommunication Union, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Labour Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the WWF - The Conservation Organization and Amnesty International.
Among these three standards, en-GB-oed appears to be most appropriate for international use. In cases where English is used in an international context, it might be good idea to consider using this standard, since en-GB-oed is not used by any government in any major English-speaking country, which gives it a more neutral flavour than en-US and en-UK or other national varieties.
en-US and en-GB are associated more closely with the United States and the United Kingdom respectively than en-GB-oed.
Using en-GB-oed is easy - if there are spelling variants for a given word, the variant listed first in the (Concise) Oxford English Dictionary is preferred. This convention explains the name of the "International Labour Organization" - "labour" instead of "labor" (en-US), "organization" instead of "organisation" (en-GB).
It should be noted, that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the international governing body for standardization, decided to use en-GB-oed exclusively in order to ensure clarity, neutrality and consistency in its English publications.
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What do you think?
* Standard U.S. English (en-US)
en-US spellings: labor, center, traveling, program, aluminum and defense.
The spellings -ize and -yze are used: organize, analyze.
Examples of international use: en-US is predominantly used by the Bretton Woods Institutions (International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the NAFTA Secretaritat and the Organization of American States.
* Standard U.K. English (with -ise spellings, en-GB)
en-GB spellings: labour, centre, travelling, programme (computer program is an exception), aluminium and defence.
The spellings -ise and -yse are used: organise, analyse.
Examples of international use: en-GB is predominantly used by the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Commonwealth Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations, the International Olympic Committee, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Transparency International and Greenpeace.
* OED English (en-GB-oed):
en-GB-oed follows the first spelling variant presented in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The Oxford English Dictionary, published by the Oxford University Press, is widely regarded as the most authoritative English language dictionary. en-GB-oed is the registered IANA language tag for OED English.
en-GB-oed spellings: labour, centre, travelling, programme (computer program is an exception), aluminium and defence.
The spellings -ize and -yse and used: organize, analyse. The OED, contrary to common U.K. usage, prefers -ize spellings over -ise spellings. At first glance, en-GB-oed might seem to be a minor deviation from common U.K. spelling. However, words ending in -ize and -ization are very common: realize, organize, recognize, apologize, authorize, organization, civilization, generalization, globalization. Words like analyse and paralyse ending in -yse are not changed into analyze and paralyze, which are both U.S. spellings.
Examples of international use: en-GB-oed is used (predominantly) by the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Telecommunication Union, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Labour Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the WWF - The Conservation Organization and Amnesty International.
Among these three standards, en-GB-oed appears to be most appropriate for international use. In cases where English is used in an international context, it might be good idea to consider using this standard, since en-GB-oed is not used by any government in any major English-speaking country, which gives it a more neutral flavour than en-US and en-UK or other national varieties.
en-US and en-GB are associated more closely with the United States and the United Kingdom respectively than en-GB-oed.
Using en-GB-oed is easy - if there are spelling variants for a given word, the variant listed first in the (Concise) Oxford English Dictionary is preferred. This convention explains the name of the "International Labour Organization" - "labour" instead of "labor" (en-US), "organization" instead of "organisation" (en-GB).
It should be noted, that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the international governing body for standardization, decided to use en-GB-oed exclusively in order to ensure clarity, neutrality and consistency in its English publications.
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What do you think?