British people might have created the English language, but the American version has basically taken over - in terms of the way the world uses English.
Spellings such as ‘Center’ rather than ‘Centre’ have become standard around the world - in a shift which began as far back as the 1880s.
Researchers writing on Steemit used Google’s Ngram tool to analyse the use of different spellings in English-language publications - from 1800 to the year 2000.
During World War I, many spellings shifted to the American version - in terms of worldwide use, the researchers write.
Steemit says - of the word ‘Centre’ - ‘1913 marked a turning point in the usage of the British spelling, as the American alternative became more frequently used in literature.
This was just a year before the beginning of World War I, which many view as a key period in America’s rise to superpower status.’
During World War I, the world also began to favor ‘defense’ over the British English version, ‘defence.’
But some words hung on in there, the researchers reveal - for an impressively long time.
Steemit writes, ‘Despite having lost their lead in most terms, the British can take pride in mounting an impressively long defense of “honour.” The American spelling only managed to solidify its lead in the 70s. Interestingly, the word’s frequency has dropped off significantly in the past two centuries.
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