The English language has many cases of multiple capital letters in a word, usually a name. My most recent story has such a problem with the common abbreviation of Los Angeles as LA. However, the software insists in converting LA to La, and that makes the title look ridiculous.
I have had that problem with several of my other stories, but this is the most egregious example. Also, I have noticed the same problem with stories written by other authors. Can anything be done to fix that problem?
That's where a good editor or proofreader comes in. Can't rely on just software checking, since it misses some things and incorrectly changes others.
That's where a good editor or proofreader comes in. Can't rely on just software checking, since it misses some things and incorrectly changes others.
Lumpy, Aubie isn't complaining about typos, but about SOL's inability to properly handle story titles.
Aubie, all I can say is, contact Lazeez directly and ask him. It sounds like his code needs a little tweaking. It's also possible he (or the other Admins) can manually tweak it.
CW, I think he's talking about in his word processing software, because I've never had an issue with spelling with the SOL software.
To get nit picky, it should be L.A. as it's initials. However, you should be able to train the software to accept it as LA if that's what you want to use. You need to turn of automatic spell check and turn on check spelling while typing because that stops it from making the change but has it highlight or underline (depends on the software which it does) what it sees as a spelling error, and then you can right click on it and select the add to dictionary option if you want, or choose one of the options offered.
A long time ago, right after I created the submission wizard (2003), few authors started submitting their stories and insisted on using ALL CAPS for their stories' titles. So I added capitalization functionality to the wizard to fix this issue.
Yes, it has problems with acronyms, but there are so many of those that if I want to fix it, then I would need a long list of acronyms to cover all of it.
The solution is simple. If there is a problem with the story's title, whether it's proper capitalization or a typo (there was one request to fix typo right after aubie's request to fix the capitalization problem), the it's very simple to go to the story management page on the site and edit the story's title to your heart's content.
Thank you, Lazeez. I did not realize that the functionality was already there. I'll cover it myself next time.
To everybody else: the problem was not in my software. I know that because the title came out the way I wanted it when I originally wrote the title. The problem only showed up this morning when I posted the story.
I get the same problem as aubie56 (and an associated one where a letter is capitalised when text picks up after an insertion). I know it will happen and go back and correct by hand. The correction sticks but I don't know SOL system
Ernest, I agree that the technically correct way to abbreviate Los Angeles would be "L. A." However, in the USA, the common abbreviation is "LA," and that was the way I wanted it to appear. Also, note how I abbreviated United States of America, the way it is commonly done.
Also, note how I abbreviated United States of America, the way it is commonly done.
Americans don't formally acknowledge that any other countries exist in either of the Americas, thus "United States" is all that's required. After all, it's not like it'll ever get confused with the "United States of Lithuania".
Until they changed their name last year, it might have been mistaken for Estados Unidos de Mexico, and in a few years it might be mistaken for the United States of Europe.
1. Estados Unidos de Mexico properly abbreviated is more likely to be mistaken for the European Union than the United States of America.
2. The locals in Estados Unidos de Mexico used Mexico as the short form not EUM or EU.
3. If you think the EU is ever likely to become the USE you are delusional. The EU is barely managing to keep from disintegrating as it is.
I always thought that the people from the United States of America wrote it as US instead of USA was because they were saying us in a loud shouting manner.
LA is the abbreviation for Louisiana, since the postal Service adopted two letter codes for the states.
The abbreviation for Los Angeles is L.A. with the periods. A lot of people get that wrong.
And then there is the Union of South Africa, another USA. Using just South Africa might include other southern African nations.
Research on Wikipedia indicates the USA is now the Republic of South Africa, and has been since 1960. Oh well, one of the perils of being 70 is much of the geography you learned in school isn't so any more. Anybody want an old globe that shows all kinds of political entities that aren't there any more. Or have changed names to ones favored by local residents. Particularly Cities. Not that new a tradition, Constantinople became Istanbul a lot longer ago than I have been alive. It had a name before the Roman Emperor Constantine. Byzantium? I'm lucky I can remember my own address, and lived here since 1979. One of these days C attle is going to remove the space and will officially recognize its residents as cattle.
I remember, before the sanctions started there was some sporting event between the United States and South Africa, and some people referred to is as between the UofSA and the USofA.
Please remember that not everyone is United States American. America goes from Tierra del Fuego to Canada and Alaska. Over here the "US" is understood to be the US of A, EUM is always called Mexico, LA should better be called La Cidada de Nossa Senhora de Los Angeles or LA (ie forget Louisiana, its all Gaiters), South Africa means the Union/Republic only with the entire area including South Africa being Southern Africa.
Wikipédia may be reasonable but it is as good as the individuals writing it. The UN, Pan Mun Jon, Old Uncle Tom Cobbley and all might pontificate, define and threaten but it is what the Men In Streets (hereinafter referred to as Misses)say which matters. China politely asked if we would kindly use another name for their capital - I suspect that their ladies didn't like foreign men peking. Their request paid off but for the ladies, I don't know.
America goes from Tierra del Fuego to Canada and Alaska.
Alaska is part of the United States of America.
True but not relevant. The point is the Americas covers a lot of territory on two continents and some appurtenant islands. And Alaska wasn't always part of the United States of America. Even before the Russians claimed it, it was part of North America, one of the tips, both northern and western. Hawaii is further west, I think, although Mercator map projections tend to overstate what the eye sees as distance on the map the closer you get to the equator. Maybe some of the Aleutian Islands are farther west than Hawaii. If they cross the International Date line they would be further east, too. In any case, although Hawaii is part of the United States of America it isn't part of North America.
I couldn't be a**ed to look up the northern-most point. However I suspect that over here when people talk about "America" they don't include places like Hawaii, Guam and others not very very close to the continent. I always forget the Aleutians and I suspect many others also do
tppm: I stand corrected (more used to Portuguese and even then spelled it wrong - mea culpa) but I had never previously heard the last two words; that's our education system at fault
I always forget the Aleutians and I suspect many others also do
From what I understand, most Alaskans forget the Aleutians. (the pop of entire archipelago is < 10k)
The northern most settlement in the USA is Barrow, Alaska (Alaska's northern coast). They have only two seasons, night and day. :)
It probably gets really confusing for you when we start talking about CONUS, which has two different usages, the Continental United States (which includes Alaska but not Hawaii) and the Contiguous United States which is also referred to as the lower 48 (excludes both Alaska and Hawaii). It's hard for US citizens to keep track of which one is being used.
I had never previously heard the last two words; that's our education system at fault
As far as I know, no one has used the full Spanish name for LA since the USA got possession of California in the Mexican American war. (Don't knock me on that one, that is what is used in most US history books)
In 1781 what is now called the City of Los Angeles was renamed as the pueblo called "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula"; in English it is "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River". The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary. After it became a US city the lazy Americans cut the name back to los Angeles then added a capital letter to the los part, and later cut it back to LA.
and later cut it back to LA.
No, the official name is still Los Angeles. LA is just an initialism in common usage.
After it became a US city the lazy Americans cut the name back to los Angeles then added a capital letter to the los part, and later cut it back to LA.
Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) is also an abbreviation but I suspect that even a lot of cariocas can't remember the full name.
Angelino I can understand but "carioca" ........it was only when researching this comment that I found out the origin; amerindian words are used sometimes so I should have guessed
tppm: I stand corrected (more used to Portuguese and even then spelled it wrong - mea culpa) but I had never previously heard the last two words; that's our education system at fault
Many people who spell out the full name, which, itself, isn't very many, leave off "de Porciúncula". Apparently L.A. was originally named after a village in Spain on the Porciúncula river, and the settlers named what is now the Los Angeles river the Porciúncula.
Wikipédia may be reasonable but it is as good as the individuals writing it.
Wikipedia is very unreliable when it comes to any topic over which there is political controversy.
You misspelled that slightly, it's El Pueblo, or Ciudad, de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula
Tim Merrigan, native born (1st generation) Angelino
Please remember that not everyone is United States American.
Sejintenej, that's why we often have discussions about what words/phrases are regional, and which are universally understood (often from American movies).
Authors need to be conscious that certain things will be interpreted differently in different countries. If there's any doubt about something, it's better to clarify it in the story itself. They should always spell something out before using an abbreviation (immediately afterwards, so readers associate the two together).
They also need to be cautious in using brand names or nicknames (like "Micky D's" for "McDonalds"), regional expressions, regional spellings or referencing movies certain people will never have heard of.
Ernest and I tend to discuss these issues often (at least on the old forum).
let's start at the very beginning
a very good place to start
when you read you begin with abc
when you sing you begin with do re mi
do re mi
the first three notes just happen to be
do re mi do re mi
do re mi fa so la te
do- a deer, a female deer
re- a drop of golden sun
mi- a name i call myself
fa- a long long way to run
so- a needle pulling thread
la- a note to follow so
LA is a note to follow so.
SO used to be Standard Oil, but they changed the name to Exxon. John D. Rockefeller and his Trust tactics damaged the name, or maybe it was too long to go on the signs. So, LA is a note to follow Standard Oil, which may explain why its greasy.
