Commonwealth English

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"Shouldn't you have some kinda unnecessary vowel at the end of your name?"

Commonwealth English is English as it is spoken and spelled in the Commonwealth countries, a collection of former British territories. This form of English dialect is noticeably different from that which exists in the United States, and the two are commonly the subject of comparison for linguists, grammarians, and comedians the world over. Throughout the Homestar Runner body of work, this form of English has been mocked or parodied in several forms.

Appearances

  • Fan Stuff — The caption of one image asks if a new character is the viewer's "flavourite", a portmanteau of the Commonwealth spellings of "flavor" and "favorite".
  • Email sb_email 22Strong Bad remarks that the sender, Mark, should "have an unnecessary vowel at the end" (he changes the name to "Marke"). This reflects spelling differences between American and British spellings of such words as "annex/annexe" and "ax/axe". Also mentioned is the substance "treacle", which is a Commonwealth English name for sugar syrups such as molasses.
  • 3 Times Halloween FunjobHomestar Runner scolds The Poopsmith for giving him "bum candy". "Bum" as a synonym for "buttocks" is primarily Commonwealth.
  • Email do overCoach Zed uses the Commonwealth name for the letter Z, pronounced Zee in the US.
  • Email environment — "Bum" is one of the mother-approved synonyms of "butt".
  • Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 15.2 — Marzipan's "questionable surgeon" pronounces "advertisement" as "ad-VER-tiss-ment", and then calls attention to the fact that he had done so.
  • SBCG4AP Advertisement — The announcer pronounces "advertisement" as "ad-VER-tiss-ment".
  • Hooked on Decemberween — The TV Time Toons Menu's description uses the word "flavourite".
  • Teen Girl Squad Issue 9 — "A Theatre" uses the Commonwealth spelling for "theater".
  • Teen Girl Squad Issue 10Cheerleader is caber tossed, with the thrower upset that it was thrown "only 23 metres", using the Commonwealth spelling for "meter" (as caber tossing is a Scottish sport).
  • The Grape Faerie uses the Commonwealth spelling for "fairy".
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