Race capitalization guide (saved post)

Category: Races of Elanthia
Topic: Erithians
Message #: 836
Author: GS4-XYNWEN
Date: 6/11/2008 12:05:48 AM
Subject: Race Capitalization Guide

My foray into document QC has yielded all kinds of fun learning for me, but one that's firmly ingrained and often misused is when and where to capitalize races and such. Now, I know that most documents on the website don't do this, because they were written earlier, and while my OCD-self would love to fix them all, it's not a good use of GM time, so I'll content myself with sharing my knowledge instead. Since it's the standard we hold new docs to, not to mention in-game alterations, I figured I'd share with my lovely erithi peoples!

Race:
Do not capitalize, unless it's at the front of a sentence. Ditto on erithian when using that instead.

1. Erithi are silly.
2. I am a silly erithi.
3. The robe is obviously crafted by an erithi.

Language:
Capitalize when it's the noun, not when it's the adjective (because then it's really the race).

1. I speak Erithi.
2. I speak the erithi(an) language.
3. The book is written in Erithi.

Cultures:
Cultures should be capitalized, and when it makes sense that a particular culture might have a distinctive style of something, that would be capitalized in the alter. [I can't think of a time when erithi cultures would ever be used in an alteration, personally]

1. I am Dhe'nar, but I wish I was an erithi of the Eloth Dai or a pretty pretty pink princess of doom and destruction.
2. All dark elves want to be erithi, but they have to settle for Dhe'nar, Faendryl, or lack culture entirely.
3. The belt of doom was covered in Faendryl and Dhe'nar runes dancing in sweet accord, and a single loop of Ashrim sigils wreathed it in golden goodness.

--Xynwen--
"I forbid ye, maidens a',that wear gowd on your hair, To come and gae by Caterhaugh, For young Tam Lin is there."

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Category: Races of Elanthia
Topic: Erithians
Message #: 839
Author: GS4-XYNWEN
Date: 6/11/2008 12:46:33 AM
Subject: Race Capitalization Guide

>>I've always wondered about the proper use of 'Erithi' versus 'Erithian.' Any chance you could help clear that up as well?

I would suggest that most erithi would very rarely use erithian, as it's a derivation from Common and not a native use. However, frequent usage by those speaking Common who for some reason saw the need to make it erithian and not erithi might have influenced even the most staid of erithi, and it could slip in from time to time.

Bear in mind this was written by an elf, but from the official documentation: "The name "Erithi" means, much like the native names most races have given to their own people, basically "the people." "Erithian" is an Elanthian Common derivation of this, which refers to individuals of the race. Erithians will rarely refer to themselves as "Erithian", unless speaking Common and referring to "an individual of this race," but will generally simply refer to themselves as "Erithi" - just as a human would say "I am human", not "I am a Human", an Erithian would say "I am Erithi." In Common, "Erithi" is properly used when speaking of the race, and "Erithian" when referring to the race of one or more individuals, or as an adjective to describe a person or thing."

So, in Common:

1. He is erithian.
2. We are erithi.
3. The erithi clothing -OR- the erithian clothing

My personal interpretation is that strictly speaking, you would always use erithi, as an erithi. Erithian is just not really a word that the erithi ever used until others started using it.

--Xynwen-- "I forbid ye, maidens a',that wear gowd on your hair, To come and gae by Caterhaugh, For young Tam Lin is there."