Canadian Spell Check & English (Canadian) language

[Peter Gueckel]

Bill Case wrote:

> Hi.
> 
> Having a problem setting up Fedora to find and installing a 
dictionary
> for Canadian English.
> 
> I would like to work with an English(US) keyboard.  An English(US 
or
> Canadian) format, but want to spellcheck for English(Can).  I have
> searched and googled with no luck.
> 
> The American dictionary is used by programs that I have like 
LibreOffice
> and Evolution.  I would like to be able to turn on a Canadian spell
> check.  However, I have configured Firefox to spellcheck.  When I 
use
> Facebook comments no spellchecking even in American English in the
> comments takes place.
> 
> All suggestions greatly received.
> 
In KDE settings, you can set the spellcheck language to Canadian and 
the keyboard to English(US). Libreoffice and Firefox have a Canadian 
English option. I don't think these are dedicated dictionaries for 
Canadian spelling, but they might be a set of rules and exceptions 
that attempt to describe the muddled language situation here.

What are Canadian spellings?

Mostly, we use British, as in -our in colour, -ou as in moustache, -
oeu as in manoeuvre, -re as in centre and we follow the rule about 
doubling the last consonant of a word that ends in a vowel followed 
by a consonant when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel, such as 
travelled and tunnelling. But do people use foetus, diarrhoea, 
mediaeval and encyclopaedia? Not likely.

There doesn't appear to be an official language policy and the 
majority of computer users don't know how to set their word processor 
programs to Canadian, or don't care. I have seen spellings that are 
blatantly American in governmental communications and the Canadian 
media.

For my part, I have begun to simply accept the US English defaults 
(one less thing to set up) and continue to spell the way I know is 
correct, even when the spellchecker tells me otherwise.