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RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:03 pm
by Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: Roger Neilson II
If you drop back to pre Victorian times you'd find people capitalising wherever they fancied, and inDeed in the miDDle of words as they Faw sit. They also capitalised to be EMPHATIC.
Many Americans see this annually when they peruse the Declaration of Independence. [:)]
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:03 pm
by Alfred
Not to mention the totally voluntary spelling codes of Shakespeare.
Alfred
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:06 pm
by Roger Neilson II
Shakspear never let a good plot be ruined by having to look up wurdz...... and he made them up if he didn't have enuff handy.
Roger
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:22 pm
by Canoerebel
A few other things along these lines:
1. Internet is capitalized (this was agreed upon after a lengthy debate).
2. I don't believe that compass directions are capitalized when used as a direction. For instance, it would be correct to say: "The birds flew south for winter." However, those same words would be capitalized when referring to a place: North Dakota; North versus South; South Georgia farmer; etc.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:24 pm
by RevRick
ORIGINAL: Roger Neilson II
Shakspear never let a good plot be ruined by having to look up wurdz...... and he made them up if he didn't have enuff handy.
Roger
Roger, Roger. Rick!
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:37 pm
by geofflambert
Back on compass points: Capitalize them when abbreviated i.e. NNE, when a title themselves ("North vs. South" as above or "Western Thought") or when they modify another capitalized word or title i.e. "Army Group South" "Southern Philipines".
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:23 pm
by decaro
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
... I see you defined yours as lower case. Oops on me. Can you give examples?
"radar," although I forget what words the letters stand for.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:38 pm
by Empire101
ORIGINAL: Joe D.
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
... I see you defined yours as lower case. Oops on me. Can you give examples?
"radar," although I forget what words the letters stand for.
The term RADAR was coined in 1941 by the United States Navy as an acronym for radio detection and ranging
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:43 pm
by decaro
ORIGINAL: Empire101
ORIGINAL: Joe D.
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
... I see you defined yours as lower case. Oops on me. Can you give examples?
"radar," although I forget what words the letters stand for.
The term RADAR was coined in 1941 by the United States Navy as an acronym for radio detection and ranging
OK, but according to the AP Stylebook, it's a
lowercase acronym, which suggests there are also uppercase acronyms.
CAP?
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:53 pm
by geofflambert
I believe it's lower case because of it's general usage, and that's because most people think it's a regular word (also see "laser") with an etymology and whatnot. Most acronyms are all caps.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:05 pm
by Empire101
ORIGINAL: geofflambert
I believe it's lower case because of it's general usage, and that's because most people think it's a regular word (also see "laser") with an etymology and whatnot. Most acronyms are all caps.
The term radar has entered English and other languages as the common noun
radar, losing all capitalization.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:13 pm
by Tiornu
As I recall, Shakespeare spelled his name a dozen different ways, but never the right way. C'mon, Bill!
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:23 pm
by Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: Joe D.
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
... I see you defined yours as lower case. Oops on me. Can you give examples?
"radar," although I forget what words the letters stand for.
Gotcha.
I know that one, answered before I could. Also sonar, which is FAR better than ASDIC. [:)]
Did poor AS-D ever live long enough to be asdic? I see UK defense (defence) pros on the Usenet naval science group using "sonar", so I think AS had a stake pounded through his heart.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:25 pm
by Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: Empire101
ORIGINAL: geofflambert
I believe it's lower case because of it's general usage, and that's because most people think it's a regular word (also see "laser") with an etymology and whatnot. Most acronyms are all caps.
The term radar has entered English and other languages as the common noun
radar, losing all capitalization.
Unless it's an Amana Radarange. And yes, I dad to go to the Amana site to get the spelling, kids.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:26 pm
by Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: Tiornu
As I recall, Shakespeare spelled his name a dozen different ways, but never the right way. C'mon, Bill!
My maternal grandfather, an English immigrant to Canada, had a last name which ended in -horne. So Bill has some copiers.
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:28 pm
by Canoerebel
Another lowercase acronym: scuba
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:29 pm
by Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Another lowercase acronym: scuba
Know it AND used it.
I think this is Jacques C's 100th birth year. Just yesterday he was 75 . . .
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 4:22 pm
by witpqs
ORIGINAL: Joe D.
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
... I see you defined yours as lower case. Oops on me. Can you give examples?
"radar," although I forget what words the letters stand for.
IIRC: RAdio Detection And Ranging
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:21 pm
by Gunner98
Just to confuse the issue: In military operational documents many words are ALL CAPS for clarity - task verbs, place names, directions, nicknames etc. I.e. CLEAR SOUTH along route MAPLE to CARPIQUET, WEST of RIVER ORNE.
At least that's NATO OSP (operational staff procedures) for OSW (operational staff work)[:D]
Have actually heard briefings where a complete sentence contained nothing but acronyms - shocking [:-]
B
RE: OT-Upper Case in English?
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:03 am
by decaro
ORIGINAL: Gunner98
... At least that's NATO OSP (operational staff procedures) for OSW (operational staff work)[:D]
Have actually heard briefings where a complete sentence contained nothing but acronyms ...
What do you expect from an organization that is an acronym?