Is Spelling Written Pronunciation?

For an American who moves to Britain, or a foreigner who (like me) learned English as a second language in America before moving to the UK, an interesting dilemma is presented upon entering this new land.

There are societal taboos about changing one’s accent to fit in: those who do are (rightfully) mocked and labelled as pretentious phonies. But what about adapting one’s spelling? Will your old friends think you’re a pretentious phony for writing “colour” instead of “color”? Or will your new friends thinking you’re an idiot who can’t spell? Is spelling written pronunciation?

Then there’s the issue of vocabulary. When living in a new place, sometimes you’re forced to substitute some words for others, simply to make yourself understood. So, for instance, when I worked in a London restaurant I had to learn to say “cutlery” instead of “silverware” and “disabled toilet” instead of “handicapped bathroom” (although, let’s face it, a disabled toilet is a toilet that doesn’t work). I still feel slightly indecent every time I ask someone where the “toilet” is (how vulgar!) And I would not be caught dead calling it the “loo” (I’m sorry, that’s just plain corny). So the newly arrived foreigner is forced to walk a minefield of potential judgments, both external and self-inflicted.

Perceptive readers may have noticed I used British spelling throughout this blog entry (the giveaway: “labelled” spelled with two “L”s in the first paragraph.) I’ve decided that for me spelling is not written pronunciation. This is the only way I can conceivably justify adapting my English to British conventions when I write, but not when I speak.

And yes, I know, this is what psychologists call rationalization. Or is it rationalisation?