American English with British spelling: linguaphiles

American English with British spelling

Has anyone else noticed a growing number of native American English speakers using British spelling (e.g. "honour" instead of "honor") on the internet? I haven't identified any particular trend, but I just received a reply to a thread where a friend I know to be L.A.-born and bred mentioned something about "people of colour" (I won't get into the specifics of that thread!). She doesn't have any ties to the UK, Canada, Australia, etc. I asked her about it, and she replied that she's just always preferred British spelling. Okay. Then a friend from New York City posted something on her lj about a "grey sweatshirt." "Sweatshirt" being a decidedly American term, and "grey" being a decidedly British spelling. She also informed me that she has simply always used that spelling. I also seem to recall someone posting here recently, in an introduction post, that they spoke American English, though their spelling "tended toward the British." Forgive me for not digging up the actual post; I can't quite remember when it was.

I'm not a purist; I don't care how people want to spell things, but I am curious. Is this just an idiosyncracy, or is there something to it? Early exposure to British literature? The appeal of the foreign or the-grass-is-greener-syndrome? Some kind of passive-aggressive youthful rebellion?

Or perhaps I am the only one who has experienced this?

American English with British spelling

Anatomy of a "CUNT"

a Russian name for the letter Q

The Touchy Subject

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Anatomy of a "CUNT"

a Russian name for the letter Q

The Touchy Subject