Query Details

Query Subject:	-ise vs. -ize
Author:	Zouhair Maalej
Submitter Email:	click here to access email

Linguistic LingField(s):	Syntax

Query:	Dear colleagues, Out of accuracy and/or purism, teachers of English as a second and/or foreign language have always urged their students to follow a consistent spelling system. My realization that spelling in -ise or -ize is not necessarily a distinction between British English and American English leaves me with two distinct sets of data: (i) somelexical items admit only -ize even in British dictionaries(e.g. anesthesize); and (ii) some others admit both -ise and -ize (e.g. familiarise and familiarize), which is more like the distinction between the two most important dialects of English. Am I right in assuming that the -ise suffix (rightly or wrongly) associated with British English is disappearing or has never existed? Isn't this a hint that spelling in -ize is becoming the norm? If anyone can indicate rules of thumb, papers, manuscripts, etc. thatdeal with the issue, they will be greatly appreciated. In case I get enough feedback/material, I promise to post a summary to the list. Zouhair Maalej
LL Issue:	9.1839
Date posted:	24-Dec-1998
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