I think that's a great system, but somewhat
complicated. Is there a simpler solution with similar
results or another way to explain it?
--- Tony Wilson <list(a)redhill.net.au> wrote:
The place where we *will* have problems is
demarkation. At what point
do we draw the line between the "specialist" entries
and the "general"
entries? This is a potential breeding ground for
edit wars.
If we can discuss this in advance and work out a
policy *before* we run
into disputes, then the disputes need not happen.
My suggestion is that we should start from the idea
that if the
intention of the article is to single out that
*particular* *species*
as opposed some *other* species, then capitalisation
is correct.
On its own, that's not quite enough to make a
workabe guideline, so
let's work some examples.
First, consider the case of the bald eagle as the
symbol of the United
States. If that is coming from an entry about the
President of the USA,
it should normally be down style. (I can think of
some unlikely
hypothetical exceptions, but they are just that:
unlikely and
hypothetical.)
Now, what about a more difficult example: Mav's case
of an article on
the US parks system that mentions the bald eagle.
Seems to me that if
we are talking in generalities, then "bald eagle" is
correct. If, on
the other hand, we are talking about specific
species in a context
where exact identifiication of that species matters
- say, the parks
service having to decide if they should prioritise
scarce financial
resources to the preservation of either the Bald
Eagle or the Golden
Eagle - then correct capitalisation to distinguish
between the species
is appropriate. Here is a rule of thumb to help
decide: if you could
sensibly replace "bald eagle" in the sentence with
"Haliaeetus
leucocephalus" and not have it seem horribly out of
place, then you
should capitalise. If "Haliaeetus leucocephalus" is
clearly
inappropriate, then you should *not* capitalise.
My thanks again to Mav for a handsome compromise
offer. I think this
one will fly.
Tony Wilson
(Tannin)
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