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ICYMI - The Whole World Says Zed. One Country Doesn't
Season 3
Episode 38
Published 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Description
John Chew traces the letter Z back through French and Greek to explain how nearly every English-speaking country in the world settled on Zed, while one major country broke from that standard entirely.
He also lays out how saying Zed or Zee has quietly become a small political signal in Canada right now, whether the speaker intends it that way or not.
John points to a specific Canadian spelling that isn't borrowed from American or British English at all, a detail that reshapes what "Canadian English" actually means.
Topics: Canadian English, language and identity, Zed versus Zee, Canadian dictionary, John Chew
GUEST: John Chew | http://canadianenglishdictionary.ca
Originally aired on 2026-09-22