[Ads-l] Capitalizing in the middle of a trade name

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Mon Aug 13 18:00:55 UTC 2018


> On Aug 13, 2018, at 12:08 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> How does this allow one to differentiate a Buick Roadmaster from the Martin
> SeaMaster?

Can’t tell the players without a MasterCard.
> 
> On Mon, Aug 13, 2018, 10:47 AM Margaret Winters <mewinters at wayne.edu> wrote:
> 
>> I wonder if a better description (rather than stating that the middle of a
>> trade name is capitalized) is to say that the space between two words has
>> been omitted in this sort of trade name.  The capital would then be
>> explained by the fact that the single word was once (or similar items were
>> once) a compound with all members capitalized as are titles.
>> 
>> 
>> best to all,
>> 
>> Margaret
>> 
>> 
>> ----------------------------
>> MARGARET E WINTERS
>> Former Provost
>> Professor Emerita - French and Linguistics
>> Wayne State University
>> Detroit, MI  48202
>> 
>> mewinters at wayne.edu
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Dan
>> Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
>> Sent: Monday, August 13, 2018 10:39 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Capitalizing in the middle of a trade name
>> 
>> What about the 1927 Buick LaSalle?
>> 
>> On Mon, Aug 13, 2018, 10:32 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> This practice has been pretty common for years (so common, I can't think
>> of
>>> an example), but I was shocked (anglice, mildly surprised) to find this
>> ex.
>>> from 1955. (I've been familiar with the product almost as long, but never
>>> thought the one-word name was capitalized in the middle).
>>> 
>>> 1955 _Newsweek_ [Google Books]: The tanks have also checked out countless
>>> ideas for seaplanes, notably the Martin SeaMaster, the 600-mile-an-hour
>>> multijet bomber which the Navy has just partially revealed as a
>>> revolutionary contender to land-based jets.
>>> 
>>> Like the spelling ,the SeaMaster was one of the most futuristic-looking
>>> items of the '50s.
>>> 
>>> JL
>>> 
>>> --
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
>>> 
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>> 
>> American Dialect Society<http://www.americandialect.org/>
>> www.americandialect.org
>> Devoted to the study of English around the world.
>> 
>> 
>>> 
>> 
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> 
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> 
> 
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