lc typing (was SHOUTING; emphasis?)

[Frank Abate]

Below is an exchange from steve k and arnold z re lower-case typing.  This
made me think of:

1. e.e. cummings

2. the fact that my kids (and their peers, I'd bet) do email in all lower
case; this is widespread practice

I'm old-fashioned, and generally do caps in the stylistically usual places,
even in email.  It's just a personal preference.

Frank Abate

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of Arnold Zwicky
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 4:19 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: SHOUTING; emphasis?


steve kleinedler:
 >arnold zwicky is my typographical hero.

to give proper credit: i got it from ellen prince.  it is much
easier for me than mixed-case typing.  but then i type with only
two fingers (on my right hand, using one finger on my left for
shift, ctrl, and alt).  in any case, lower-case typing is faster
for me and causes fewer errors.

as a corollary, i now find all-lc text as easy to read as
mixed-case text.  (these are subjective judgments, not experimental
results.)

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)