Ultimately in matters of capitalization, you do what the editor tells you and, in the absence of instruction, you can do what you prefer. If you get too carried away, a copy editor will usually save you from yourself.
David Cameron Duffy Ph.D. Professor/PCSU Unit Leader/CESU Director PCSU/CESU/Department of Botany University of Hawaii Manoa 3190 Maile Way, St John 410 Honolulu, HI 96822 USA Tel 808-956-8218, FAX 808-956-4710 http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/duffy/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Robert Hole <[email protected]> Date: Monday, October 5, 2009 10:53 am Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] To capitalize or not to capitalize To: [email protected] > 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 > <[email protected]> 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 > <[email protected]>wrote:> > >> 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 > >> [email protected] > >> 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) > > > >
