American spelling bother for TV show

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It doesn't quite have the magnitude of David Tua's "O" for "Awesome" call but a spelling mishap during the final of Wheel of Fortune is causing a minor ruckus.

The popular television show, where contestants have to guess words or phrases to land prizes from the fortune wheel, aired for the last time a week ago after TVNZ announced it wouldn't be commissioning any more seasons because of the recession.

But it's the word "orthopaedic" and whether it should be spelt with or without the "a" that has caught some viewers' attention.

Orthopaedic was teamed up with surgeon to create a phrase during the final show. A contestant guessed the letter "a" but was told it wasn't in the word.

And therein lies the rub. In New Zealand the most common spelling of orthopaedic includes an "a". That's what medical professionals use, in keeping with British spelling.

And, if you're looking for such a service online, you won't find one listing under "orthopedic" on the White Pages website.

But dropping the "a", as the Americans do, is considered acceptable and both spellings are listed in the New Zealand Oxford Dictionary.

Confused? So was Aucklander Howard Williams. He spent four months recovering from a broken ankle, so is familiar with orthopaedic surgeons and has numerous letters from them. The letterheads always had the spelling - orthopaedic.

He was so confused, and just a little irritated, that he checked the concise medical dictionary and called TVNZ and then the Sunday Star- Times. His main concern was fairness. "It's not fair - especially if there is money involved."

The show's producer, Gavin Wood, said it was great to see Kiwis were watching. "There are a lot of eagle-eyed viewers out there."

But he said the spelling was not wrong and did not influence the outcome of the game. All questions went through a rigorous checking process and the show used New Zealand spellings. The programme adjudicator had found both spellings were acceptable and were used by the public, and had references to prove it.

Dianne Bardsley is the director of The New Zealand Dictionary Centre at Victoria University. She confirmed that both spellings were acceptable. However, she said, it was good to be consistent.

"I tend to think if they say they are using New Zealand spelling they should use the 'ae' form just to be consistent."

Also a judge on the New Zealand Spelling Bee, Bardsley said she could understand why people had noticed the different spelling. "I can appreciate that people are upset about that. I would be."

- © Fairfax NZ News