Re: Bug#640326: makedic package description

[Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au>]

Justin B Rye <jbr@edlug.org.uk> writes:

> These two conventions collide most obviously for Japanese "[Kk]anji",
> "[Hh]iragana", and "[Kk]atakana", with the added twist that it's not
> clear whether "[Kk]ana" gets to count as a script in its own right or
> whether it's just a general category like "hieroglyphs".

I would say:

If one is naming a particular writing system, that's naming a unique
individual thing in the world, and so gets capitalised like any other
proper noun in English. Hence: Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana.

If one is referring to a collection of items – glyphs from the writing
system – then it's not naming one thing as a proper noun and so doesn't
get capitalised in English. Hence: kanji, hiragana, katakana.

For the category of writing systems that contains Hiragana and Katakana:
not a proper noun, so not capitalised. For specific glyphs from either
of those writing systems: also not proper nouns and not capitalised.
Hence: kana.

-- 
 \             “To label any subject unsuitable for comedy is to admit |
  `\                                           defeat.” —Peter Sellers |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney