What I mean is, do you write "colour" instead of color? I do that, but I am not sure about it. Really, do any Canadians do that anymore? I was talking to a lady from Miramichi, New Brunswick, where I live, and she said that her grandson was visiting her (presumably he was from Canada, as well). She spelled a word with a "zed" and he corrected her saying "it is zee, not zed". In Canada, we say "zed" instead of the traditional American pronunciation of Z which is "zee". Are there any Canadians who say "Zee" instead of "Zed" and do Canadians say "zed" anymore? I am thinking that Canadian language and American language are probably similar now. Like when we pronounce "Lieutenant" in Canada, we are supposed to say "LEF-tenant", which some people of my mother's generation will correct you if you pronounce it wrong. My mother also says "ZEB-ra" instead of "ZE-bra", because that is how she says it is supposed to be pronounced in Canada. I always said "ZE-bra". I am just wondering these things because the characters in my story are going to be Canadian, and I want the text to be Canadian as well.
Hello. Canadian here. Yes, I include "u" in all my words like honour, valour, colour, neighbour .... but I'm not sure you need to use this spelling only if your characters are Canadian. Who is your target reading audience? and yes, it is zed, not zee ... This might make a difference with your Canadian dialogue.
Hello, Australian here. We also include the "u" in words like colour, honour, etc. I believe this spelling is common throughout countries within the British Commonwealth. Louanne is right: who is your target audience? If your market is mostly in the USA, then it might be a good idea to spell it "color" and "honor" etc. Is that right, Louanne?
The publishing standard seems to be American English. Even in Canadian and UK markets, it appears! Most of the significant magazines, agents, and publishers are going to be based in the States, so it's best to write to that standard. I've been doing so for the past couple of years now.
