Tokeni(z)ation or tokeni(s)ation? “z vs s”: which should you use?
It's a fact. When to use 'z' in contrast to 's' has seen Uncle Sam emerge as the definitive victor. Whilst those in academic circles might express hesitancy, the landscape of social media has witnessed an interesting shift. For those with a goal to captivate the widest readership in their posts, a recommendation surfaces: farewell to the 's's, and a warm embrace for the 'z's!
This historic tussle traces its origins to the etymological 'izo' in Greek and its counterpart 'iso' in French. Additionally, it's equally astonishing to learn that the standardization of British spelling didn't occur until circa 1755, aligning meticulously with Johnson's publication of 'A Dictionary of the English Language'. Before this transformative juncture, an era of linguistic liberty reigned supreme, even causing distinguished writers such as Shakespeare to seamlessly alternate between these two systems. Curious as to the reason for this change now? After all, is there truly any significance when both 'z' and 's' convey identical meanings? An understandable viewpoint. Yet, in this realm of digital progression, search engine algorithms have elevated their potency and, as the adage goes: “Falter in ranking, falter altogether.” Within this context, the intriguing trend emerges from Google Trends data - i.e., terms with 'z' frequently unveil higher search volumes in contrast to their 's' counterparts. Consider the instance of tokenization vs. tokenisation. The correlation becomes evident - greater search volumes translate into heightened relevance. Furthermore, within the realm of content creation, where SEO and SEM intermingle, the selection of appropriate keywords holds a considerable sway.
Source: Google
Think about words such as 'tokenisation,' 'digitisation,' 'analyse,' 'monetization,' 'fractionalisation' and 'securitisation.' These words have gone through a transformation. In the realm of social media, where every character counts, the 'z' stands tall; it has the power to make your message pop and resonate with a diverse audience. Nevertheless, this usage depends on what your target audience is. Well, advice would be that, should you be planning to have the world as your audience, it’s best to apply American English. And so, with a touch of chagrin and a splash of enthusiasm, future editions of Digital Bytes will proudly wave the 'z' flag. This change is being embraced with open minds and hearts, in the understanding that the power of language evolves just as quickly as the digital world does.
P.S. My thanks to Professor Sarah Green Law Commissioner for Commercial and Common Law at Law Commission of England and Wales who pointed out: “"ize" actually -that's the official Oxford use and it's not strictly true that "ize" is an American spelling. See the OUP style guide and Inspector Morse, "Ghost in the Machine" (in which is it material to the plot that an Oxford man would never use "ise"....….