Capitalisation of country names (Liz)

Question

Do the following phrases require capitalization? country french, country european

Hitchhiker · Accepted Answer

'European' isn't a country. But it's generally capitalised.

'French' is, so requires capitalisation.

Orpheus · Answer

French is capitalised but it's not a country name, it's either the nationality, the language, the person or anything connected with France  (the country name is France, and IS capitalised.)

Hitchhiker · Answer

I was tired!!!!! hehe, yep sorry you're absolutely correct Orpheus, nicely caught!

Maj · Answer

do you think the Internet will change these rules? I shouldn't say this but I sometimes don't seem to bother about capitalizing words

Jacko · Answer

People tease me for it, but I try to write gramatically sound as much as I can regardless of what I write: essay, a short paper for a crappy teacher, IMs, etc. Of course, they are not always gramatically correct, but putting it in daily application, it really helps speed up the process of learning English.

As far as the Internet is concerned, there might be a workaround at some rules, but it's not really going to shape the way English is. For example, words that need to be in italics are still italics (or underline), but on the Web, since there are cases that neither of the two options are available, MLA recommends placing the word that needs to be in italics between underscores (_) (e.g. Hamlet).

I guess I am a grammar freak because I have to learn it: English is not my first language; Tagalog, a Filipino language, is.

Maj · Answer

Isn't English an official language in the Philippines?

Orpheus · Answer

I think English is the Lingua Franca in the Philippines but the native language of the Filipinos is Tagalog.

Jacko · Answer

Tagalog is supposed to be the Lingua Franca in the Philippines and it is for the most part because even though Filipinos want to speak English, most are illiterate (but you can never sell most of them because they can understand basic English; use big words then now you can sell them

).

From first grade, English is taught, but it's all about the rules, punctuations. Without proper application (e.g. writing), they are almost useless because one tends to forget them. So, it's been really recently (3-4 years) that I've really focused my attention on learning English, but I've spoken English here and there before that--I was not a total English idiot, thankfully).

I remember when I first arrived in the US, I had to take proficiency writing and I got 1.5, while most of the class did not get below 2.5. However, I just took my writing proficiency beginning of last year and I got a 4--I was so proud of myself.

Orpheus · Answer

Thanks Jacko for the info. I thought English was the Lingua Franca there.

Jacko · Answer

"I thought English was the Lingua Franca there." Oh don't worry, it might be soon enough if people there don't stop trying to be "Westernized"--whatever this words means to them.

Capitalisation of country names (Liz)

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