S/z

[irmamar]

What does "en-us" mean?

OK, thank you everybody. I asked this question because maybe (I'm not sure yet) next year I'm going to study American Literature. The teacher said that we can write the exam in American or British English, but never mix. However, this year I've studied that some words ending in -ise (in BrE) are able to be transformed into -ize, and that would be correct (in BrE, of course). An example was "realize", which I have seen with "z" in BrE texts (and which I often write with "z"). I am worried because if I'm writing my exam in BrE (for instance, "colour"/"color" is a word which appears often in the text) and I write some word with "z" (not all of them, just one or two) I'd like to know if my teacher could mark those words as American words and... (well, I don't know how to say in English "bajar mi puntuación").

Thanks again.

[JPablo]

Originally Posted by pjt33

You could start by calling them Oxonians

(Well, there may be some disagreement over whether Oxonians applies to people from Oxford or just members of the university, but I don't think "Oxfordians" is common currency).

Oops! You're right. Thank you for letting me know. It reminds me "los vallisoletanos"
In Cambridge, then, do as the Cambridgeans

Originally Posted by irmamar

What does "en-us" mean?
(well, I don't know how to say in English "bajar mi puntuación").
Thanks again.

US English, I believe.
Probably you could say, "lower my score".

That's E-Z.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by pjt33

You could start by calling them Oxonians

(Well, there may be some disagreement over whether Oxonians applies to people from Oxford or just members of the university).

The OED gives both, but usually the university.

Originally Posted by JPablo

In Cambridge, then, do as the Cambridgeans

Cantabrigians.

[JPablo]

Originally Posted by Perikles

The OED gives both, but usually the university.

Cantabrigians.

Thank you, Perikles. Reminds me of the "cántabros", but that's another tribe.

[irmamar]

I take this thread again because casually I've found the following page, where they say that "-ize" ending is correct in British English. What do you think?

I'm sorry, soy pesada por naturaleza.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

What do you think?

I think the article is exactly right.

There is an interesting comment about analyse

[poli]

I prefer ..ize because it more-closely resembles the word as it is pronounced.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by poli

I prefer ..ize because it more-closely resembles the word as it is pronounced.

No se me había ocurrido . Buena idea, Poli.

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I take this thread again because casually I've found the following page, where they say that "-ize" ending is correct in British English. What do you think?

I'm sorry, soy pesada por naturaleza.

It's not incorrect, but I think it's less common than -ise. Picking a few common words and running them through BNC:

Organise: 60.5%
Realise: 64.0%
Civilised: 57.3%
Recognise: 63.3%

[irmamar]

Yes, I know it, but there is a sentence which has attracted my attention:

Many incorrectly regard -ize as American English, though it has been in use in English since the 16th century.

I've seen/heard/read Spanish people saying too technical or cultivated words deliberately to show their high linguistic level, without realising that sometimes they sound ridiculous. A veces, demasiado celo es peligroso.