english vs. English ...

[Trevoke]

Right! Left!
I'm back and you'll be front.

I'm wondering when it's proper to use "english" vs "English" or "french" vs. "French", etc etc..

I know there's the person, the people and the language (maybe more?), but I don't know when to capitalize it.

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[Golom]

They're both proper nouns (either as the name of a nationality or a language) so they should be capitalized in those contexts. I'm not sure about it when they become adjectives (e.g. french wine or english biscuits)

[small]No! No! You're not thinking ... you're only being logical.
- Neils Bohr[/small]

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
At least one source says:

Capitalize proper nouns, proper adjectives , and words used as essential parts of proper nouns.


So, French wine, I guess..






To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[Stella740pl]

It seems that both, people and languages in English are always upper case.

I would also guess that if French wine is really made in France, it would be capitalized, and english biscuits would be lower case if they are no more English than fries are French. So it could be French wine but french fries and english muffins. And it would be lower case when it becomes a verb.

Of course, Polish would be capitalized unless it is an action or substance to make something shiny.

 

[Stella740pl]

P.S.
...if French wine is really made in France, it would be capitalized...
Of course, remebering Seinfeld, in France it would just be called 'wine'.

 

[CajunCenturion]

You should capitalize adjectives when they're derived from proper nouns. Even in the case of French toast, French fries, or Irish coffee, those derivative adjectives should be capitalized.

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[columb]

As I heard it (snopes.com?) French fries have nothing to do with the country - which added to the absurdity of Freedom fries. Frenching is a cullinary term for cutting into strips about the size of a chip (or french fry if you're American)

Ceci n'est pas un signature
Columb Healy

 

[CajunCenturion]

I gave the right rule, but with bad examples. French fries and french toast are not derivative, however, Irish coffee is.

--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[SantaMufasa]

Mightn't (non-)capitalisations (French/french...English/english) have something to do with "attribute" size. Perhaps that would explain why "American" is always capitalised.<grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I can provide you with low-cost, remote Database Administration services: see our website and contact me via www.dasages.com]

 

[columb]

Damn Yanks, always confusing quantity with quality <grin>

And before I start a flame war that was meant to be light hearted and inoffensive!

Ceci n'est pas un signature
Columb Healy

 

[Trevoke]

columb, should your non-sig say "Ceci n'est pas une signature" ?

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[Stella740pl]

Frenching is a cullinary term for cutting into strips, but can it possibly be derived from the name of the country?

 

[columb]

Trevoke
Looks like my Magritte is better than my French - oops!
The bug free Mk II comes out tomorrow!

Ceci n'est pas un signature
Columb Healy

 

[blutekhnd]

Put a little english on the ball, would be lower case wouldn't it?

 

[SantaMufasa]

Put a little english on the ball, would be lower case wouldn't it?

If it is her surname or her nationality, it should be capitalised.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I can provide you with low-cost, remote Database Administration services: see our website and contact me via www.dasages.com]

 

[blutekhnd]

Color me stunned SantaMufasa. I'm shocked that observation could come from a saint. And jealous that I didn't think of it myself.

 

[SantaMufasa]

Again, I don't know what you were thinking...I was thinking of those large, inflatable exercise spheres that they have at work-out gymnasia.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I can provide you with low-cost, remote Database Administration services: see our website and contact me via www.dasages.com]