Canadian EFL Teachers’ and The Canadian General Public’s Preferences for Spelling Words with Variants

Canadian EFL Teachers’ and The Canadian General Public’s Preferences for Spelling Words with Variants

This study has looked into Canadian EFL teachers' and the Canadian general public's preference for spelling English words with variants. Although this study may not be representative of all of Canadian population's preference for spelling words with variants, it does portray the change and trend in spelling practices of Canadians, both who are “well-educated” and less “well-educated.” The quantitative and qualitative analyses of survey questionnaires have clearly shown that Canadian EFL teachers and the Canadian general public prefer (60:40 ratio) to spell words with variants more in the British tradition. Also, “non-academic” factors stated in comments section of the questionnaires clearly show that education is not the only factor which influence one's preference for spelling. Cultual, emotional, social, political and psychological factors also influence one's decision regarding choices related to spelling.