I'm all for capitalizing common names IF there is agreement on what they are. Capitalization implies (to me, at least) that they have been determined by some widely-accepted and appropriate process. They've been "certified," so to speak.
But, the problem with common names (esp. for plants) as we all know, is that there is no accepted or conventional usage. What is tulip poplar to one person is yellow poplar to another and tulip tree to a third. So, until plant common names are standardized (which will never happen), I'm quite content to use lower case. Christopher Christopher P. Dunn, PhD Executive Director for Research Programs & Smith Family Curator of Native Habitats Chicago Botanic Garden 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, IL 60022 USA Phone: 847.835.6934 Fax: 847.835.5484 http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/science/_dunn.html http://www.vplants.org/ -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Whitacre Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 3:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] capitalization rules for common names? Scott and list, Its true that bird common names are normally capitalized, though this has not been so for at least mammals, and probably many other taxa. A friend and mentor of mine recently gave me a compelling argument that, editorial traditions be damned, we should simply capitalize all common names. Is a pygmy rabbit just a very small rabbit of some unspecified kind, or a species as clearly denoted by Pygmy Rabbit? Is a vagrant shrew an extralimital shrew record of some undesignated species--or is it a Vagrant Shrew? I think my friend is right, and capitalizing all common names is the right way to go and the wave of the future. He gave several examples in which recent field guides etc. have been breaking with the non-capitalization tradition, and editors have been coming around to the idea. I say we should do what makes the most sense to us, and push this envelope. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott Ruhren" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 1:28 PM Subject: capitalization rules for common names? > Dear List Members: > > > > I have been attempting to find a definitive answer regarding rules and > standards of capitalization for common names of biota. Except when the > common name contains a proper name (ex. Canadian, Wilson's), I follow the > no-capitalization rule. This complies with several writing style guides > often used for journals (ex. CBE, APA) and popular press science > publications. Additionally, popular press sources such as National > Geographic, NY Times, Nature Conservancy magazine etc. do NOT capitalize > common names. Finally, is it my imagination that there seems to be some > disparity between zoological (more caps.) and botanical (less caps.) > publications. Could this be an antique holdover? I have seen more > capitalization in ornithological publications for > fanciers/birders/associations. Field guides seem top overuse > capitalization > for emphasis. > > > > Thank you for your input. > > > > Scott > > > > --- > > Scott Ruhren, Ph.D. > > Senior Director of Conservation > > Audubon Society of Rhode Island > > 12 Sanderson Road > > Smithfield, RI 02917-2600 > > > > 401-949-5454 > > >
