Rowan Collins wrote:
On the other hand, since the aim of the project is to make an encyclopedia - to share knowledge - maybe all we need do is make sure the text is understandable to most English-speaking readers.
No, it's not enuf. This mait be undestandabel, but cetanly not apropiat for an anciclopedia!
I will write all my articles in English the way I learned it at school: that's British English. I can't write anything else. Usually my writing needs to be checked by a native speaker anyway[1], because I can't write either variant flawlessly.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Afghan_parliamentary_election%2C_2...
Actually, one of the main differences we've been discussing - the aubergine/eggplant example - is not one of orthography at all, but of vocabulary. It's not that Americans say "aubergine" but write it "eggplant", it's a different word for the same thing.
I think mainly the British are the ones saying 'throatwobbler mangrove ' (-;
Gerrit.