Which English grammar should be followed when writing for a global audience?

Question

In relation to my question on Usage of 'z' in the word serialized in English?, it seems I was mistaken in assuming there is a generally accepted correct variant of English.

The question Which variant of English should I use when my target audience is the world? addresses the issue of what to be aware of when writing for a global audience, and the answers focuses mostly on which kind of words and expressions to use (and not use).

I am interested in which grammar to follow when writing for a global audience?

Specifically which rulebook on grammar and which dictionary should I follow?

Answer 1

Since there is no global English, most people addressing a global audience adopt one of two conventions:

Either just write it using the spellings & grammar that you are most familiar and comfortable with. As pointed out, most people using other dialects of English will understand.

Or produce two versions, one in Commonwealth (British) English, and one in American English. This is the approach usually taken if what you're writing is going to be translated into a series of other languages.

A third option, which also serves as a good thing to aim for if adopting the first approach, is to avoid any (or as many as possible) words or phrases that are treated differently by the different versions of English - but this is usually very hard to achieve and can result in using some forms of wording that don't sit particularly well in any variant of the language.

Answer 2

Native speakers of English tend on the whole to write in the "written standard" of their native variety of English.

Speakers of different varieties, or at least those who are "well read", are generally used to reading material in other varieties, and the difference between the written

So I would suggest just picking the variety you're most familiar with and aiming towards the written standard of native speakers in that variety. If you need it, try and find a comprehensive reference grammar that deals with your chosen variety. (If you're already proficient in English, I would also suggest just getting a well-educated native speaker to proofread the first draft of your writing, and using tools such as Google searches, Google N-grams: a "grammar book" often isn't these days the most efficient means of resolving uncertainties.)

There are still some issues that are just preferences. For example, in UK English, whether you use "-ise" or "-ize" is essentially an editorial preference: both are perfectly acceptable and readers are used to seeing both, and you or your publisher just needs to decide one way or the other.

Answer 3

I think it depends what you're writing. If you're writing fiction, you need to make choices based on the setting of your story, the identity you've established for your narrator, etc. Your characters will obviously speak with the idioms of their culture, and your narrative voice will probably be rooted in a specific tradition as well.

If you're writing non-fiction, I'd look at the dominant dialects used in your target market. I'm hard-pressed to think of any piece of writing that is aimed at the entire world. So analyze your target market. What are they used to reading? What will they best understand? How are the popular/dominant works in that field currently written?

I sense that you want something more concrete, though. The North American market is huge, and due to the American media presence, it's familiar to most literate people of the world. You could use CMOS (The Chicago Manual of Style) if you want something firm and straightforward.

Answer 4

Seconding Kate's suggestion of the Chicago Manual of Style, and I'd also add Strunk & White's Elements of Style as another indispensable reference.

Answer 5

Most often, you write according to your background. If you are American, you write using American English and if you are British, you use Brit. This is usually applicable for novels and other long material. This was the method used by old writers like Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. If you book is really popular your publisher may make conversions to make it more readable in a particular area.

If you are writing for a magazine or similar source which would be marketed in a particular area say the US, then it would make sense to target the English spoken in the target area.

Hope it helps.