Capitalising certain words...

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Marcus Fox - 05 May 2007 19:02 GMT

When should I use the appropriate capitalised or uncapitalised adjectives
or nouns (for example) "Chinese" and "chinese"? Or is it not correct to use
the uncapitalised form? I have seen in print books statements such as "Do
you speak chinese?"

Marcus

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Blue Sow - 05 May 2007 19:11 GMT

> When should I use the appropriate capitalised or uncapitalised adjectives
> or nouns (for example) "Chinese" and "chinese"? Or is it not correct to use
> the uncapitalised form? I have seen in print books statements such as "Do
> you speak chinese?"

It might depend on which dialect of English you are using. In Standard British
English, a capital for proper nouns would be appropriate.

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Blue Sow

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John of Aix - 05 May 2007 20:37 GMT

> When should I use the appropriate capitalised or uncapitalised
> adjectives or nouns (for example) "Chinese" and "chinese"? Or is it
> not correct to use the uncapitalised form? I have seen in print books
> statements such as "Do you speak chinese?"

Always capialised, always. Be it the language, the style or the person.

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Einde O'Callaghan - 05 May 2007 21:31 GMT

Marcus Fox schrieb:

All adjectives and nouns derived from countries, continents, regions and
other geographical features are capitalised unless they have completely
lost their geographical reference, So, for example, China and its
derivatives are capitalised except in cases like "china" as a synonym
for porcelain or crockery or "china clay" as a synonym for kaolin.

The example you give is definitely incorrect.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

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Discussion Groups / British English / May 2007

Capitalising certain words...