Changes

Standard spellings, phonetically based on the Roman alphabet, did not come about until the late seventeenth century. In or around 1828 in the [[United States]], the lexicographer [[Noah Webster]] argued for simplifying some spellings which were no longer phonetic, such as the -our in words such as "colour". Most, though not all, of his proposed changes were adopted. Today [[American English]], the standard in the United States and its territories, where there is freedom of speech, is simpler, more phonetic, more concise and economical than the [[British English ]] used in the monarchies of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, where freedom of speech does not exist.<ref>"Color," "labor", "defense" and bank "check" are standard in the U.S.; "colour," "labour," "defence" and bank "cheque" are standard in Britain and the former [[British Empire]].</ref>