To US English or to UK English? Is that really the question?

Frequently, I find myself in the middle of a conversation talking about whether something should be written in US English or UK English. Sometimes, it's related to how something is punctuated (and yes, there is a difference between the two for some punctuation rules). Sometimes, it's in regards to whether a story would work better written in one versus the other—normally focused on whether a story set in the UK should be in UK English. And sometimes, it's connected to the frustrations that those around me have with Americans who don't understand that UK English is different to US English.

Within these conversations, I find myself becoming a bit of a broken record, asking the same questions over and over again. And it all comes down to one idea…

Who is your target audience?

So, let's break this down and really look at why understanding who your target audience is will determine which variant of English you use.

Many who reside in the USA don't know there is a difference.

No matter how you look at it, a large proportion of the US population doesn't know that there are multiple variants of English. The way they spell things and the way they punctuation sentences is all they know. Their terminology is so ingrained into the culture that when you throw another term at them, it can confuse them entirely.

And there are some US-based readers who are so uppity about the usage of US English that they will publicly trash a novel if it is written in UK English. I personally know a professor of English at my local university who had her booked slammed, because according to the reviewer, she didn't know how to use a spell checker. (The reviewer had suggested that she should go back to school and study English. But she's a professor of English at the university… We were all laughing so hard when she read out the review to us.)

When the Harry Potter series was released in the USA, Bloomsbury made the effort to convert those novels into US English, even though they were written in UK English and set in the UK. Terminology changed and the two versions are not the same, though the story can still be loved by all. And the reason Bloomsbury did this? Because even they recognized that majority of the US market does not know that multiple variants of English exist.

So, if you understand your target audience…

My first experience with UK English

I remember the first time that I encountered UK English. I was 11 years old and my family had just moved to New Zealand. It was my first day of school in a new country… and my class had a spelling test. I remember sitting that spelling test so confused—and getting incredibly upset because all the words that I knew were spelled correctly were mark as wrong.

Favorite. Neighbor. Center. Realize. Tire. Airplane.

In fact, when airplane was said, I didn't even understand the word they were using. They repeated aeroplane over and over again, and I still didn't get it—I was having major problems understanding the accent, or so I thought. In the end, someone said, "You know the thing that flies through the air."

"Oh… Airplane." So, that's what I wrote down. But it was wrong.

Under UK English, it's favourite, neighbour, centre, tyre, realise, and aeroplane. And this is just the spelling side of things. You don't even want to get started with the differences in punctuation.

Should if be 3 PM, 3 p.m., 3 pm, or something else entirely? (And in case any editor reading this blog decides to be smart and answer this rhetorical question, the answer will depend on the style guide that you are using. The Australian Government says that it's something entirely different to CMoS.)

For the first six years of my education, I was taught to spell and punctuate sentences one way. And that meant nothing, because UK English was a different beast. To complicate matters, New Zealand actually uses a hybrid between US and UK English, where in some instances, both spellings of a word are acceptable.

I know that there is a difference, because I have lived with that difference for over 30 years.

So, if an 11-year-old girl can be totally confused about the differences between US and UK English as she moves halfway around the world, was Bloomsbury smart in converting the Harry Potter series to US English? Considering that the first book had a target audience of 11 year olds…

Are you starting to see how understanding your target audience is going to dictate which variant of English to use?

What about adult novels set in the UK? Should they be in UK English?

There are some who will argue that all novels set in the UK and the surrounding areas should be written in UK English. By that argument, any novels set in Canada should be written in Canadian English (which is another hybrid between US and UK English), novels set in Australia should be in Australian English (another hybrid, but with quirks of its own), and novels set in New Zealand should be in New Zealand English (a hybrid English variant that I now avoid as much as possible).

Granted, those using Canadian English will be mainly familiar with US English, and those in Australia and New Zealand have a better understanding of UK English, but still, the differences can drive a copyeditor insane.

But if that novel set in the UK written in UK English is brought before a US market, what sort of reception can they expect?

Just think back to Harry Potter. Bloomsbury knew what they were doing.

What about those familiar with UK English reading US English?

While a large proportion of the US population doesn't know about the differences between the English variants, the same is not true for those who have lived with UK English for most of their lives. And it's not just English majors who happily accept that multiple variants of English exist. Engineers, scientists, and computer programmers know this too.

Are you aware that computer programming languages are based on US English? If you were to type colour (with the u) into HTML and most other programming languages, the command will either be ignored or will generate an error. It's color (no u).

(You have no idea how many times I would face palm when I found that bug within my coding. It happened all the time.)

And most readers I know are just happy to be reading a book. They don't even notice which variant of English they're reading. As long as that story is well written, the differences between US and UK English are completely overlooked.

In general, the UK market will take whatever variant you throw at them and gobble it up.

The choice is up to those who publish.

I know writers who have deliberately chosen to stick with UK English. It's what they know. It's what they're comfortable with. And it's what comes out of their fingers when they're typing at speed.

I don't blame them, because when I'm in the zone, those UK spellings just appear on my screen. After 30 years of using them every day, you would expect it. But I also know that I'm an abnormality when it comes to those in my local writing community.

Most writers that I associate with regularly are targeting their stories for the UK market. For those who are aiming for a US market, they hire editors to make those conversions for them.

Me: I know my primary market is US-based, and I have worked hard for the past five years to shift my brain to use US English by default. And even then, I sometimes slip up.

But I'm also highly aware that a publisher needs to think about marketing to the target audience. If there are reasons to be in US English instead of UK English, they'll do it. (Remember Bloomsbury with Harry Potter.)

So, to US English or to UK English?

Well, the question about whether a story should be written in US English or UK English is not the question at all. The question that matters is who is your target audience?

If you are writing for a US market, you would be safest to stick to US English, regardless of where the story is set. If you're not comfortable with making those changes, and it's more than just spelling and punctuation, then hire a copyeditor to do the job for you.

However, if you are targeting a UK market, you need to look at other factors, like the age of your readers and who else will get their hands on the book. The UK market, for the most part, will accept both US and UK English, but that decision is really a matter of marketing.

As for me, I do the best I can to work in US English for my personal stories, but even then, my Kiwi shines through.