Oxford Spelling
From Wikinfo
Oxford Spelling is one of the two major spelling standards in the United Kingdom. It is named after the Oxford English Dictionary.
Definition
The most pronounced difference between Oxford Spelling and other British spellings standards is its use of -ize suffixes. It uses, for example, realize, gourmandize, recognize, where most Britons would spell realise, gourmandise and recognise. It doesn't apply the same rule to words ending in -yse though; those are never spelt -yze.
There is, however, a certain ambiguity about the term.
- In the strictest sense, Oxford Spelling could mean spelling like in the original, 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary.
- A less strict definition would be spelling like in any Oxford Dictionary, but only the preferred variants.
- An even less strict meaning is spelling like in any Oxford Dictionary, including the alternative spellings.
For instance, following the first definition the correct spelling would be co-operate, the second would dictate cooperate (if the used dictionary is the Concise Oxford Dictionary) and the third would allow both. Note that the latter definition hardly qualifies as a spelling standard, because it basically allows words to be spelt in any way possible, even in American ways (e.g. paralyze).
Usage
While most British literature and newspapers use other spelling standards, many academic publications and international organizations (such as the ISO) use Oxford Spelling.
Oxford Spelling has its own IANA tag: en-GB-oed.
