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Is the spelling nana or nanna? - Australian spelling
When talking about one's grandmother, we often use the terms
nan, nana and nanna. In Australia, what then is the preferred spelling? Is nana
spelled with one n, or is nanna spelled with two n's.
First, we do have to remember nana and nanna are considered
colloquial spellings and as such, are used informally. Also since people use
Nana and Nanna as names, names can often vary in spelling. Having said that,
the best approach is to refer to the authoritative references.
The Macquarie Dictionary lists nana as a secondary spelling
of nanna and the entry nana refers on to nanna. Thus according to the Macquarie
Dictionary the preferred spelling would be nanna. The Australia Oxford
dictionary entry nanna states a variation of nan, with nan listing nana and
nanna as variations for nan. The Australia Oxford thus doesn’t directly give us
answer for nana and nanna.
The online Oxford dictionary doesn’t directly list nanna,
but interestingly, states nanna as the British form for nana under the nana
entry.
Based on the Macquarie Dictionary it would appear the
preferred spelling in Australia is nanna. The spelling preference in Australia
appears to be: grandmother, nan, nanna and then nana.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.Australian-Dictionary.com.au
The preferred Australian English spelling.
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