English Varieties

History of English in 10 Minutes

Open University video on how English evolved — ~10% devoted to Shakespeare alone.

Reference: The History of English in Ten Minutes

Australian English

• Macquarie Dictionary gives legitimacy to Australian vocabulary and distinctions.

• Descriptivist approach: note how language is actually used rather than prescribing rigid rules.

• Between you and me (not I) — object of preposition between requires me.

Reference: What Even is Australian English?

Youse

Australian plural of you (more than one person). Included in the Macquarie Dictionary despite controversy.

Reference: Guardian — Australia’s national dictionary editor on the heat about youse

British and American Spelling

British English often retains spellings from borrowed languages; American English tends toward simplified forms.

American	British
color	colour
neighbor	neighbour
catalog	catalogue
center	centre
organize	organise

Reference: Oxford Dictionaries — British and American spelling

Choose one convention and use it consistently (often determined by audience or software locale).