English common name spelling: travellers's vs traveler's

[sjmeades]

[Originally posted on GoogleCode (id 1708) on 2013-04-05]

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What is the URL of the page where the problem occurs? http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/8466

What data are incorrect or missing? traveler's joy

What data are you expecting instead? traveller's joy

If applicable, please provide an authoritative source. For consistency, I suggest you stick to either British or American spelling differences: colour vs color, metre vs metre, etc. Traveller is another that falls into this category, with traveller being the US spelling. This wiki article lists many of the differences:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences#Doubled_consonants

Doubled consonants: The British English doubling is used for all inflections (-ed, -ing, -er, -est) and for the noun suffixes -er and -or. Therefore, British English usage is cancelled, counsellor, cruellest, labelled, modelling, quarrelled, signalling, traveller, and travelling. Americans usually use canceled, counselor, cruelest, labeled, modeling, quarreled, signaling, traveler, and traveling.

Also, non US-websites use traveller's rather than travelers: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/traveller%27s+joy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis_vitalba http://eol.org/pages/596256/overview

[brouille]

[Originally posted on GoogleCode on 2013-04-05 15:51Z]

Marilyn: please handle

I do not know what is preferred for Canada.

Marc: opinion?

Luc

[MFavreau]

[Originally posted on GoogleCode on 2013-04-05 16:39Z]

Canadian usage is more or less a blend American and British usages. We always write cheques, not checks as in the US, but we inflate tires, never tyres as until recently in the UK. We have research centres as they do in Britain, while the Americans have centers.

As far doubling the consonants or not is concerned, both usages are considered correct in Canada according to my favorite Canadian dictionnary (Gage's). However, in Gage's, the doubling option is given first, and it is systematically used in the examples.

I would vote for "traveller's joy", hey.

Of course, this type of rule would apply only to "accepted" names. Synonyms should be whatever the sources say.

Marc

[sjmeades]

[Originally posted on GoogleCode on 2013-04-05 16:52Z]

Yes, I agree, it's not alway clearcut, and since I'm originally from the US, I often get mixed up on which one is accepted here. I've taken to using -re's rather that '-er's as endings, but the double letters are still a bit confusing. Thanks for your clarification, Marc. I'll have to get a copy of Gage's.

[manions]

[Originally posted on GoogleCode on 2013-06-17 18:05Z]

many thanks for noticing this and your input. Yes aiming for Canadian spelling and usage.