Yeah, this is my question. It has been bothering me for quite some time. Also, would it be better if I just ask choice of games community which spelling they prefer and use that one?
Canadian is my preference. You wouldn’t use American spelling for a story set in the UK either would you? Sorry if this sounds testy. It’s something of a sore spot for us. American media is omnipresent thanks to the internet, so protecting Canadian culture is often a conscious decision we need to make at both an administrative and personal level.
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As a Canadian I would definitely find it odd to read American spellings in this case.
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I assume you’re hoping to be published by Hosted Games. They don’t have rules about what set of conventions you use. You can spell words whatever way feels most comfortable to you. If you want to use Canadian conventions to reflect that your story is set there, that would be awesome, but it’s not something you should feel you have to force if you’re not entirely comfortable with it, at least not in order to get published.
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Personally, it should be up to you to decide whichever you’re comfortable the most with as I’m sure most people wouldn’t mind.
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It would probably be more immersive if you used Canadian spelling, but it’s not essential. I’m from the UK so (as far as I know) I naturally spell the same way Canadians do, but I use American spelling in my WIP just because most of my likely audience are used to that. I’d say that it would be more important to get the Candian cultural references and use of language right, rather than worrying about the spelling.
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Right now, in the context of a US President “joking” about using economic pressure to annex Canada?
I vote for putting in the extra effort to respect our northern neighbor. Use their spelling.
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I’m a Brit and I chose to write both UnNaturals in American English as that is where it is set.
You don’t have to do it it’s up to author choice. Just be mindful if you do, you need to consider words that mean different things between your natural language and Americthe an English. Pants for example mean trousers in the US but underwear in the UK.
Although after writing in American English for several years now. Working on Quiver has been fun as I’m writing in British English which feels more natural to me.
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The consensus is clear. If you want authenticity, go with Canadian English. If you have a Canadian friend to check the script for accuracy, then go. I’m saying this as a Filipino who uses mostly American English (due to my country’s history of American colonization) with a smattering of British-isms.
Canada has it own spelling? I thought they either do it the British way or American way
Canada uses mostly Commonwealth English conventions (aka British English), with a few quirks borrowed from American English.
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I am pretty sure Choice of Games expects US spelling in their official games. Not sure of their stance for hosted games. That said, I have a game in development with a Canadian setting, and I may use Canadian spelling throughout, or only within the characters’ speeches. Have not decided yet.
Who will be the first to publish a game about the Canadian resistance to invasion by a powerful neighbour…?
CoG does tend to use American conventions, although I believe they’ve allowed the use of Commonwealth English in games set in modern times in countries where Commonwealth English is spoken.
Hosted Games doesn’t require or prefer any particular standard, beyond that the game be in at least minimally proficient English. They’ve published games that use American English clearly and consistently, games that use Commonwealth English clearly and consistently, and games that are inconsistent and/or full of usage errors.
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If the action takes place in Canada, should be Canadian spelling, of course. Simple and logical.
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I’m not American or Canadian, so I don’t really have a personal preference in this. I can read either as long as it’s understandable.
That said, using Canadian spelling in a Canadian setting would be more authentic and respectful to the setting. If you’re comfortable with Canadian spelling, or willing to learn it, then it’s a good choice.
However, it’s not strictly necessary (unless it’s a publishing rules here), especially if you’re more comfortable writing in American English. The most important thing is that you’re able to be clear and consistent. Ultimately, use what best serves your story.
I’d say Canadian. Granted, I doubt anyone in my WIP “feels” like they’re from/live in Canada. For example, and I should probably tweak this bc now it’s going to annoy me, soda may be called “pop” instead. So yeah, spelling and slang helps it feel rooted in whatever your setting is.
I feel like an exception is when it comes to historical pieces, because it can either be very wordy or, depending how far back you go, be difficult to determine how the language was used.
But anyway, use what feels comfortable and what you want! It’s not a requirement regardless. At best, it helps immersion. Rarely is it so distracting that it takes a reader out of the story.
Canadian here. Personally, I couldn’t care less if you used Canadian or American spelling. However, when writing dialogue for Canadian characters, I would want to see Canadian words/slang used over American (like pop/soda, as mentioned above)
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It will add value if you can use some regional terms relevant to the part of Canada where the story takes place. There are a number of regional phrase books available, both in print and digital editions, if you really wanted to make a study of it; but if your Ottawa Valley farmer says, “Finest kind,” as a term of approval and your Lunenburg fisherman greets you with,“G’day, g’day,” it will make the story seem false to a Canadian reader, as you have the wrong term coming out of the wrong mouth.
I suggest American Spelling since most of the people reading will be more accustomed to it than canadian spelling
As a Brit when I see stories/games set in Britain with American English and absolutely no awareness of how things work here it massively throws me off. If the characters start talking about “math,” or they don’t seem to talk with any of the accents/any british slang it makes the setting feel really false and hollow.
I’d say if you can always try to match where you’ve set it, I’ve been to Manchester twice in my life but one of my two WIPs is set in there so I’ve been trying to read as much fiction written by people from there and set there as I can to get the best idea of how it’s represented by those familiar with it - alongside just looking up stuff. Another story spends a lot of time in some islands around Greece with characters from a range of countries and whilst they’re confined to english for the most part I’m trying to still ensure how they speak matches their culture and country. I wouldn’t have an American using a bunch of british slang or talking about how xyz has bad craic but I would have a brit do that. Same should apply for Canadians.
The spelling is really whatever you’re comfortable with but if you’re doing Canada you should probably ensure you use their slang/terms/regional stuff - which regions are people from? What words would they be using? Stuff like that.
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