Word Choice: Program vs. Programme

‘Program’ v ‘Programme’ – an Australian overview. I respond concerning the spellings ‘program’ and ‘programme’. As explained below, it should be considered at all times that the spelling ‘programme’ did not develop naturally but was an artificial spelling contrived by a minority pseudo-intellectual group. It was little more than a hoax that somehow prevailed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The spelling ‘program’ has always been the officially preferred spelling in Australia and is one of the few examples where we have not followed the British lead. In this regard we could note that the Australian states moved away from the British educational system during the early twentieth century. My earliest and somewhat vague memory of the word ‘program’ is my father and his visitor expressing concerns in 1949 that the recently seen spelling ‘programme’ was contrary to their education at Fort Street High School in the 1930s. My recollections of my school years in the late1950s are clear. We were instructed when preparing for our NSW matriculation exams to use the Australian preferred spelling ‘program’. We were not to use ‘programme’ but would not be penalised if we did because it had British use at the time. It is apparent that the spelling ‘programme’ was relatively unknown in Australia until the period of post war immigration. The position since then has not changed. There has been continuing support for ‘programme’ from Britain but ‘program’ has remained the official and preferred spelling in Australia in all situations and at all levels. While there would initially appear to be no disadvantage in using ‘programme’, it creates the impression of being unduly conservative. In addition, ‘program’ is now considered to be the more appropriate spelling for electronic use in Britain to the point where many consider it to be the more appropriate spelling for general use. A major matter that requires correction is that ‘program’ was introduced by U.S. use and, by inference, that it reflects lower quality standard English. This is incorrect. Although finding examples in original eighteenth and nineteenth century British material is difficult, the examples found show that that ‘program’ was initially the correct and preferred spelling in Britain. For example, the Dictionary of the English Language, Samuel Johnson and John Walker, published by William Pickering, Chancery Lane, London, 1828, lists ‘PROGRAM’ as the first spelling, followed by ‘PROGRAMMA’ (pronounced pro-gram-ma) as the second spelling. The spelling ‘programme’ was not listed. It is apparent from historical scrutiny that the spelling ‘programme’ was advocated by those who considered it to be intellectual and derived from classical Greek, a pseudo-intellectual claim that had little merit but eventually prevailed. In these unusual circumstances the spelling ‘programme’ became the accepted spelling in Britain - but only in Britain! It is obvious that ‘programme’ was a false, contrived spelling and that we should use the preferred Australian spelling ‘program’ unless quoting directly from a specific source that used the dated, artificial spelling. Garry Smith