[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] To capitalize or not to capitalize
When I write about white-tailed deer I do not mean any deer with white on its tail. Similarly, when I write about a spotted salamander, I do not mean any salamander with spots, nor with spicebush swallowtail, nor a fat pocketbook mussel. Only with birds is this tyranny of capitalization held up as gospel. I think we can all agree that respect for scientific authority is valued by those who study all types of animals, so let's just come out and admit that it's a socially enforced convention among ornithologists to require capitalization. -- Eric Schauber Wildlife Ecologist -- Coop. Wildlife Research Lab Associate Professor of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale (618) 453-6940 (618) 453-6944 (fax) On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM, David Anderson dand...@tigers.lsu.eduwrote: It is important to separate vernacular names from professionally designated common names assigned to species. The American Ornithologists' Union is the authority that names birds in North America, and names of birds are capitalized: Chipping Sparrow, Lovely Cotinga. These names are associated with taxonomic binomials consistent with the recognized status of species. A chipping sparrow is any sparrow seen chipping. A Chipping Sparrow refers to Spizella passerina. All cotingas are lovely indeed, but only Lovely Cotinga refers to Cotinga amabilis. Birds have many common names. A hoot owl means nothing in particular. A rain crow is a Common Nighthawk. When popular magazines, e.g., National Geographic, Audubon, incorrectly refer to chipping sparrows and lovely cotingas they are ignoring the scientific authority and tradition that separates vernacular from science, and in so doing they blur the boundary between common and scientific observations and knowledge. David L. Anderson Ph.D. Candidate Museum of Natural Science Louisiana State University 225-578-5393 dand...@tigers.lsu.edu http://www.museum.lsu.edu/Anderson/index.htm -- Eric Schauber Wildlife Ecologist -- Coop. Wildlife Research Lab Associate Professor of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale (618) 453-6940 (618) 453-6944 (fax)
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] To capitalize or not to capitalize
Well, when you write about it, it might be obvious to you because you know what you mean, but to me, it is not because I have to extract this out of the context, the name itself is generally ambiguous. The key is the discussion is whether or not names of animals are common nouns or proper nouns. Once the species within a group have each has a single established name, it becomes a proper noun. For most species, except birds, there is no such standardization. I personally would prefer to treat each name as a proper noun, but unfortunately that kind of clarity will take a long time. Kim Eric Schauber wrote: When I write about white-tailed deer I do not mean any deer with white on its tail. Similarly, when I write about a spotted salamander, I do not mean any salamander with spots, nor with spicebush swallowtail, nor a fat pocketbook mussel. Only with birds is this tyranny of capitalization held up as gospel. I think we can all agree that respect for scientific authority is valued by those who study all types of animals, so let's just come out and admit that it's a socially enforced convention among ornithologists to require capitalization. -- http://www.kimvdlinde.com
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] To capitalize or not to capitalize
So, Dr. Schauber, with this logic you advocate not italicizing scientific names and never capitalizing genus, family, order, whatever? Because when I write about hemionus or cervidae I'm not writing about just any mammal, and it's only the tyranny of biologists that keep those conventions alive. Of course then, I started this incorrectly by that logic too - dr. schauber (because I'm not talking about just any schauber, I know who I'm talking about). Yes, I'm being silly, but I'm applying the logic you outlined. There may be other reasons to cap or not to cap - newspapers don't do it for any animal, as I've been told over and over by my Communications Major museum editors. Trained as an ornithologist, it drives me nuts, but I live with it. Robert Hole, Jr. On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:08 PM, Eric Schauber schau...@siu.edu wrote: When I write about white-tailed deer I do not mean any deer with white on its tail. Similarly, when I write about a spotted salamander, I do not mean any salamander with spots, nor with spicebush swallowtail, nor a fat pocketbook mussel. Only with birds is this tyranny of capitalization held up as gospel. I think we can all agree that respect for scientific authority is valued by those who study all types of animals, so let's just come out and admit that it's a socially enforced convention among ornithologists to require capitalization. -- Eric Schauber Wildlife Ecologist -- Coop. Wildlife Research Lab Associate Professor of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale (618) 453-6940 (618) 453-6944 (fax) On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM, David Anderson dand...@tigers.lsu.eduwrote: It is important to separate vernacular names from professionally designated common names assigned to species. The American Ornithologists' Union is the authority that names birds in North America, and names of birds are capitalized: Chipping Sparrow, Lovely Cotinga. These names are associated with taxonomic binomials consistent with the recognized status of species. A chipping sparrow is any sparrow seen chipping. A Chipping Sparrow refers to Spizella passerina. All cotingas are lovely indeed, but only Lovely Cotinga refers to Cotinga amabilis. Birds have many common names. A hoot owl means nothing in particular. A rain crow is a Common Nighthawk. When popular magazines, e.g., National Geographic, Audubon, incorrectly refer to chipping sparrows and lovely cotingas they are ignoring the scientific authority and tradition that separates vernacular from science, and in so doing they blur the boundary between common and scientific observations and knowledge. David L. Anderson Ph.D. Candidate Museum of Natural Science Louisiana State University 225-578-5393 dand...@tigers.lsu.edu http://www.museum.lsu.edu/Anderson/index.htm -- Eric Schauber Wildlife Ecologist -- Coop. Wildlife Research Lab Associate Professor of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale (618) 453-6940 (618) 453-6944 (fax)
