Serious ? about 'theatre' and 'theater'.

[spreadeagle]

Duh - that's one of the functions of dictionaries. Dictionaries record changing word usage including variant spellings. If you look up the word and there is more than one commonly accepted spelling then the one that is in widest use will be placed first.

 

[theworldwithout]

The way I see it, if it's a movie theater then that's how it is spelled. If there's a stage, live acting/stand up and so on then it's theatre.

 

[dr_beat]

I'm thinking about this as I lie on my chesterfield in my running shoes.

 

[frankfrank]

It just seemed odd to me that both spellings would be used in the same category on the same day.

It's even more odd when Jeopardy changes Canada's spelling of 'Centre' to 'Center', even when naming complexes such as 'The Eaton's Centre', which becomes 'The Eaton's Center' on Jeopardy.

I remember seeing that Jeopardy and thinking it was strange seeing a Canadian place spelled that way.

I agree with agaymale and a couple others in here, where I use -er for the movie house, and -re for the play place (or for the actual acting itself).

 

[cellular]

I think the way they changed the name of the building from centre to center is correct. A center is used for places, and a centre is used to denote a position. In my opinion, that the underlying difference between those two ways.
Sorry, i dont have a clue about the theatre and theater though...

 

[prettyboysing]

The bottom line with theatre vs. theater is that there is no set rule. Words like theatre and centre were changed in America as a way to further remove ourselves from England. Since "american" is a dialect of the english language, you can't really say that these spellings are wrong (any more than you can say that canadian french or mexican spanish is wrong), but the way they are spelled in GB is more traditional.

That being said, live theatre is an artform that was brought to America from Europe, therefore it is acceptable to use the "re" spelling when writing about that artform Kind of similar to calling coffe with milk, cafe au lait.

 

[gsdx]

I think the way they changed the name of the building from centre to center is correct

The name "Eaton's Centre" is correct. The name "Eaton's Center" is not.

It's as incorrect as me spelling a popular New York landmark "Rockefeller Centre." That is not its name.

Words like theatre and centre were changed in America as a way to further remove ourselves from England. Since "american" is a dialect of the english language, you can't really say that these spellings are wrong (any more than you can say that canadian french or mexican spanish is wrong)

I'm quite aware of that, but where did I say it was 'wrong'?

 

[prettyboysing]

I'm quite aware of that, but where did I say it was 'wrong'?

I didn't mean this as a direct answer to your question; more of a discussion on the topic.

And, I agree with your "Rockefeller Center" statement.

 

[gsdx]

I didn't mean this as a direct answer to your question; more of a discussion on the topic.

Oh. Thank you. I thought something I'd written may have been open to misinterpretation.

Your comparisons made me think of another word which I hear mispronounced and misspelt in the US: "walla" ('voilà').

 

[prettyboysing]

Your comparisons made me think of another word which I hear mispronounced and misspelt in the US: "walla" ('voilà').

Okay, now that is wrong But, my mom does it, so... but then again, my mom says the-ate-er and cain't (instead of can't).

 

[NickCole]

I worked in theatre for many years; the way we used the two words, theater was the building and theatre was the art.

"Theater" was introduced by Noah Webster for his dictionary in the mid-19th Century. That's also when "centre" became "center" in American English.