tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post3292151478233565998..comments2024-01-13T19:58:05.175+00:00Comments on The Lyons Share: Why English names of species should ALWAYS be capitalisedGraeme Lyonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07105938845237816643noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-44727857316662286582022-07-29T16:33:04.484+01:002022-07-29T16:33:04.484+01:00I totally agree with this. I have never understood...I totally agree with this. I have never understood this convention. Indeed, in the past capitals were used extensively and to my mind most usefully. To illustrate this I’ll add a page from my copy of Francis Price’s « The British Carpenter » of MDCCXXXV, if I can. If not, can someone explain how?<br />Gednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-65964925553018708042022-07-11T12:23:21.687+01:002022-07-11T12:23:21.687+01:00keep plant names capitlaisedkeep plant names capitlaisedDawn Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975017044998425827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-35299919563238530482022-03-31T12:37:53.140+01:002022-03-31T12:37:53.140+01:00Graeme, you've convinced me, on the basis that...Graeme, you've convinced me, on the basis that without capitalisation the meaning can be confused. I find the omission and incorrect capitalisation of scientific names more annoying though. The examples you give explain the point clearly. Interestingly "The" has been dropped from the English names of most moths, have a look in South you'll see what I mean. It is now even being dropped from Forester. Personally, I prefer The Forester where "The" has that adjective function but becomes a noun on being incorporated into the name. But convention seems to put this in lower case, perhaps to avoid the The Forester. Butterfly Conservation just use Forester now and perhaps that's preferable. Bloody hell, it's a confusing language! And, of course an evolving one.Alastairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17129076714821313669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-39209564103443596582022-03-12T08:26:15.819+00:002022-03-12T08:26:15.819+00:00Good advice, thank you.Good advice, thank you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17392012077527415522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-70756510800216326792022-02-10T19:25:34.573+00:002022-02-10T19:25:34.573+00:00Couldn't agree more!Couldn't agree more!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03420094009302297101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-76206398780216244342022-02-03T17:51:38.333+00:002022-02-03T17:51:38.333+00:00Very much in agreementVery much in agreementAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01965288228916621139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-68316275334628543712021-09-16T13:33:06.211+01:002021-09-16T13:33:06.211+01:00Bravo! Well said!Bravo! Well said!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05085178574748241916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-37208179464710709782021-09-09T13:29:40.769+01:002021-09-09T13:29:40.769+01:00It is pure laziness not to capitalise common names...It is pure laziness not to capitalise common names... using the excuse of "house style" (Spectator)and as for the OUP.... makes me want to do an "angry of tunbridge wells"!!<br /><br />I agree with "Perhaps send this to Michael Rosen who is a grammarian, poet and academic and has thousands of followers"... I am sure he'd be onto it like a shot!Le Pré de la Forgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02396822372095610004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-16389589134629599982021-09-06T09:08:07.407+01:002021-09-06T09:08:07.407+01:00Totally agree
Derek WhiteleyTotally agree<br />Derek WhiteleyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14564852176378641053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-87863802593824069592021-08-21T10:26:14.894+01:002021-08-21T10:26:14.894+01:00I contribute wildlife and nature articles to The S...I contribute wildlife and nature articles to The Spectator and they change my capital letters into lower case so when I mentioned a Great White Egret they changed it to great white egret, to make it sound like a really good white egret. Worse, they leave scientific names completely in lower case, no capital letter at the start of the genus. I have mentioned this to them but it's house style.Sollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06791276449832156885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-54919703259092795502021-08-20T23:22:38.840+01:002021-08-20T23:22:38.840+01:00It irritates me too and I fully concur with your p...It irritates me too and I fully concur with your position on this issue.David M. Gascoigne,https://www.blogger.com/profile/17229638811027153569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-86255938788828332192021-08-20T21:40:02.531+01:002021-08-20T21:40:02.531+01:00100% agree, always use capitals. House styles and ...100% agree, always use capitals. House styles and the subsequent dumbing down of language has led to the decline in conservation knowledge and the need for the Lost Words publications. <br /><br />Keep causing good trouble!<br />Dawlish Warrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09909796189958856077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-26142973960498379192021-08-20T20:51:03.948+01:002021-08-20T20:51:03.948+01:00Agree. The most recent abomination I discovered ha...Agree. The most recent abomination I discovered had been carried out on my writing was the de-capitalisation of Essex Skipper to essex skipper. Grrr...Honeybeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14829095414508175481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-30652501813243503742021-08-20T12:04:13.821+01:002021-08-20T12:04:13.821+01:00Of course you are correct. My best example of conf...Of course you are correct. My best example of confusion with lowercase is little ringed plover. Great that you have widened this discussion.Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642492616199188588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-49825296322562030082021-08-20T10:46:18.179+01:002021-08-20T10:46:18.179+01:00Totally agree, I've been using capitalisation ...Totally agree, I've been using capitalisation to avoid confusion for a long time, and now I'm even more convince, I'll even include it in my lectures next to slide how to write scientific names!Africa Gomezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03501193251810926737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-84178441177845531612021-08-20T09:38:52.482+01:002021-08-20T09:38:52.482+01:00Yes totally agree - just had the same argument wit...Yes totally agree - just had the same argument with my Editor at OUP!<br /><br />Simon Leatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11009948188452989539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-80988367173988794712021-08-20T09:33:11.263+01:002021-08-20T09:33:11.263+01:00I'm with you 100%, this is one of my biggest a...I'm with you 100%, this is one of my biggest annoyances. Audrey Turnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-67808495334994858982021-08-20T09:00:28.744+01:002021-08-20T09:00:28.744+01:00As a complete amateur but pretty knowledgeable abo...As a complete amateur but pretty knowledgeable about written English, I absolutely agree. <br />Perhaps send this to Michael Rosen who is a grammarian, poet and academic and has thousands of followers MiceElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04052314198566015228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-62123420575438420502021-08-20T08:35:54.393+01:002021-08-20T08:35:54.393+01:00I'm also a 100% with you. Keep up the good ran...I'm also a 100% with you. Keep up the good ranting.Dawn Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975017044998425827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-12547745539223430892021-08-19T19:25:08.151+01:002021-08-19T19:25:08.151+01:00with you 100% with you 100% Pete Leonardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16336465152856096574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-22504456718884454582021-08-19T17:40:13.967+01:002021-08-19T17:40:13.967+01:00Always capitals for the vernacular words, unless i...Always capitals for the vernacular words, unless it follows a hyphen (exceptions being things like Herb-Robert where the word after the hyphen is a proper noun/named after a proper noun). Always a capital for the genus in scientific names and never ever ever for the binomial (my own pet hate). It's just that bloody simple. <br /><br />I would be mortified and angered if anything I wrote had the capitals replaced by lower-case, particularly if it had my name in amy way attributed to it. You do kind of expect an editorial team to correct any grammatical/spelling errors, that's their job. Any editor should be steadfast to the correct way of language usage, otherwise they aren't fit to edit. Gibsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14699055561230102061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5712676654133721000.post-35632086124857658302021-08-19T17:26:11.486+01:002021-08-19T17:26:11.486+01:00I have never abandoned capitalisation. I have never abandoned capitalisation. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14589028830808807786noreply@blogger.com