Sam Korn <smoddy(a)gmail.com> wrote:
The rule is explicit. The way it should be enterpreted in this case
is not. The most common English name should be used. Some people
consider Côte d'Ivoire more common, some consider Ivory Coast more
common. If you stopped seeing things as black-or-white,
right-or-wrong, you might find this whole issue easier to deal with.
Both are acceptable, and the amount of debate this *minor* issue has
had is absurd.
Wrong. In world usage in English, a review of sources shows that Ivory Coast is used
everywhere. Cote d'Ivoire is used occasionally, in most cases purely in diplomatic
texts. It is a black and white issue. The MoS say to use the most common name by a mile is
Ivory Coast. For example, the US uses Cote d'Ivoire more than most. A review of 20
sources - governmental, media, reportage, NGOs - put usage as 75:25 (75 Ivory Coast, 25
Cote d'Ivoire). And that is in English a highpoint of usage. Other states' usage
is 100:0 Ivory Coast vs Cote d'Ivoire.
What is happening is perfectly simple. Some French language users wish to use a lesser
known name as the article name, the version version, in breach of the MoS requirement that
the most common name used by English users be used to keep a French name in preference to
the actually more widely used name. It is the equivalent of if a lot of German speakers
voted to ensure that the Germany page was at [[Deutchland]], if a lot of Italian speakers
voted to put Italy at [[Italia]], or if Ulster Scots users speakers used their numbers to
put Northern Ireland at [[Northinn Airlinn]].
Language should be irrelevant to the debate. Under the MoS the only criteria is
''most commonly used". Some users seem to be saying 'to tell with the
MoS, lets push our language". That is an abuse of WP.
Thom
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