Put titles of smaller works poems, articles in quotation marks. Here are a few common styles but you should use the appropriate style guide or consult with a librarian to verify. Although the title of a journal article or book chapter is not usually italicized, sometimes words within the title may be italicized. How to decide if you should italicize foreign words and phrases. It is a good idea to find out which style manual is selected for your business or academic institution. Should foreign language words be italicized in a research. Foreign language words familiar to most readers do not need italics. Apa has specific guidelines for the use of italics. To see search results from any of these areas of the chicago manual of style online. If a foreign word becomes familiar through repeated use throughout a work, it need be. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Ive seen the italicized spoken foreign words and placed in quotes just like regular speech.
These include book or movie titles, letters or words as linguistic examples, statistics, scientific names for animals, and other items that would be italicized in text, per apa style guidelines. If a foreign word becomes familiar through repeated use throughout a work, it need be italicized only on its first occurrence. Usc follows associated press style for its print and online communication to the public. The rest are a little more nuanced, but youll be relieved to know that we wont be listing all the rules here in the podcast. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership.
In september 2017, chicago issued its seventeenth edition. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. When referring to foreign words not considered fully part of the english language. Because the associated press stylebook is not indexed and the manual for. X research source in apa style, if you are not sure whether something should be italicized, the preference is to not italicize it. In typography, italic type is a cursive font based on a stylised form of calligraphic handwriting. When italic type is not available for example, in a typewriter or handwritten manuscript, underline to indicate italics. Apa style requires the use of italics only in the first instance that the word or. Jan 30, 2008 we do not know why your title would be in all caps, but in regard to foreign terms the chicago manual of style 7. Foreign words and phrases, use italics unless an item appears in a. Its customary to italicize foreign words such as the french word chocolaterie when they appear in an english text. Note that the ap stylebook associated press uses quotation marks in place of italics because italic type face cannot be sent through ap computers.
Titles of plays, long and short, are generally italicized. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. The general rule is to use italics on book titles, album titles and publication names for a web document or when you are using a word processing tool. In some cases, the university has its own style for certain uses, such as memos, letters and academic publications. I enjoy listening to mozarts opera the magic flute. The chicago manual of style and the ap stylebook also differ on the punctuation of the definition that should be given after a foreign word. If, however, your phrase becomes more like a sentence or more instead of just a few words, skip the italics and put the sentences in quotation marks instead. Jul 18, 2011 finally, dont italicize foreign proper names, foreign names of people, institutions, places, etc. Instead, were going to give you a mediumsized list of things you probably should italicize. Uncommon or unfamiliar foreign words are italicized the first time they are used in a story. If you live in the united states or canada, order the new edition of the blue book through and get 30 percent off and free shipping.
Richard nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and english at georgia southern university and the author of several universitylevel grammar and composition textbooks. Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or legal code. Home forums writers digest forum tips and advice italics for foreign words in dialogue this topic has 3 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 5 months ago by amy r viewing 3 reply threads author posts october 17, 2008 at 2. Names of most websites and apps are capitalized without quotes. Whether or not to italicize foreign words depends upon the words familiarity to the intended audience. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. Titles of works editorial style guide purchase college. Italicize foreign words and include the english translations in parentheses. Longer works are italicized while shorter works like song titles or an article from a magazine are put in quotes. They had italic type in newspapers, not underlined, and bold was a problem in the old newsprint age.
Capitalize an article a, an, the or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in the title. For others, like youtube videos, theyre a little fuzzier. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Owing to the influence from calligraphy, italics normally slant slightly to the right. In ap style, magazines names and titles are governed by their own rules. Associated press style basics journalists resource.
Italics for foreign words in dialogue writers digest. A dispute has come up over this recently on wikipedia talk. As for enclosing titles in quotation marks or italicizing them, you can get pretty far by. If only one unfamiliar foreign word or brief phrase is being used, italicize it. Here a starter list of foreign words and phrases that don need italics because they are listed in merriamwebster. If it is something handwritten you should underline it instead of using italics. Finally, dont italicize foreign proper names, foreign names of people, institutions, places, etc. That includes newspaper names and magazine references.
Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. For some kinds of media, like book titles, the rules are clear. The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. All four contain detailed rules on when to use italics.
The answer to this questions varies somewhat dependent upon the citation style. You can italicize a part of a quote to draw emphasis, and indicate that the italics were added and not part of the original quote in brackets. Martins press and the author of the bolero of andi rowe, curbstone 2011. Otherwise, italicize the word or phrase to show that its foreign. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce. Italicized words are still iffy for wire transmission ap stories, so book titles are. The chicago manual of style states that italics are used for isolated words and phrases in a foreign language if they are likely to be unfamiliar to readers. Denote titles of complete works, such as books, anthologies, or collections of pieces, films, or musical compositions. Aug 01, 2016 book titles are usually put in the same category as other big, standalone, or complete bodies of work like newspapers, symphonies, or publications. Apa style rules require the use of italics to alert the reader that a term has a special meaning. The publisher is extending its prepublication discount offer until august 30. Italics other apa guidelines academic guides at walden.
Italicize punctuation marks immediately following italicized words. Because thats what they adopted in the ap stylebook. Style guides that prescribe the use of italics, such as the chicago manual of style or the ama manual of style, say that titles of such works should be put into italics when appearing in text. I believe there are some foreign words that are so much a part of american culture now, that they arent italicized anymore. Ap updates its stylebook to accommodate changes in conventions and usage. If the word appears frequently throughout your document, the chicago manual of style chicago style recommends only using the italics the first time the word appears. Italics with foreign words chicago style use italics for foreign words if you are writing a business document or general nonfiction. However, computer game apps such as farmville are in quotes. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Italics are a way to emphasise key points in a printed text, to identify many types of creative works, to cite foreign words or phrases, or, when quoting a speaker, a way to show which words they stressed. To see search results from any of these areas of the chicago manual of. As we have discussed italics and underline can both be used for titles of major works. Im copyediting a book, from a very good dev editor, who, however, has italicized the book of mormon, and, thus, to match, italicized the bible.
Note that the ap stylebook associated press uses quotation marks in place of. When writing italicized foreign words or phrases, make sure to put in the appropriate accents and diacritical marks this means that. How to decide if you should italicize foreign words and. All you need to know about titles in ap style gatehouse. According to the manual, italics are appropriate for.
Italics, quotation marks, underscore grammar and punctuation. Jun 08, 2015 some style guides include general advice about italicizing foreign words and phrases, for example, to use italics only for the less common foreign words. If you are writing a newscentric piece or are an independent journalist without a house style guide, follow the guideline from the associated press stylebook ap. Books and magazines often italicize newspaper names as well as book titles and magazine names as part of their inhouse style. We do not know why your title would be in all caps, but in regard to foreign terms the chicago manual of style 7. These include book or movie titles, letters or words as linguistic examples, statistics, scientific names for animals, and other items that would be. In chimamanda ngozi adichies americanah, her nigerian narrator moves to the us for college, but still fondly uses igbo with her family. May 07, 2009 the associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or. Italicized words are still iffy for wire transmission ap stories, so book titles are enclosed in quote marks.
Consult the nw dictionary fifth edition or email the copy desk for more guidance. If the foreign word or phrase is listed in merriamwebster dictionary, don italicize it. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. The associated press stylebook is the basis for many of the guidelines that. However, the use of italics for foreign words and phrases varies. Oct 30, 2015 if an article the, a, an is the first or last word in a title, capitalize it. The punctuation mark after an italicized word or phrase or between elements of a reference list entry e. Quotation marks are customary for components, such as chapter titles in a book, individual episodes of a tv series, songs on a music album, and titles of articles or essays in print or online.
If an entire sentence or passage of two or more sentences appear in a foreign language, type the passage in plain type and put the passage in quotation marks. Mar 26, 2018 the ap stylebook, first published in 1953, is the bible for journalists. Proper names and places in foreign languages are never italicized. When to italicize foreign words and phrases grammar party. Titles of books, journals and periodicals, films, and. Therefore, if you are using a term of art or a word that is meant to be cast ironically or as slang, italicize the word. Remember that there are more reasons to italicize a nonenglish word besides calling attention to its foreignness. Use italics for emphasis, for unfamiliar foreign words and phrases, and for technical terms followed by definitions. Apa style requires the use of italics only in the first instance that the word or terminology appears in the paper. How to use italics grammar girl quick and dirty tips.
In this post, youll learn about some crucial updates to chicago and see comparisons of its instructions with ap style. Foreignlanguage words familiar to most readers do not need italics. In keeping with the chicago manual of style, italicize and capitalize titles of fulllength, freestanding works. If the foreign word is a proper noun, do not italicize it. Other guides are more specific and state precisely which words and phrases to italicize or which dictionary to follow for guidance. Such popular words can be found in a dictionary and are considered a part of the english language. Italicize foreign words if they do not appear in the regular part of the dictionary. Jun 24, 2018 this doesnt reflect style elsewhere in the magazine, which is usually to italicize nonenglish words, unless they have entered common use in english, or appear in the main body of merriam. There are a number of commonly used foreign words, abbreviations and phrases that are part of american english. It meant more ink on the page, and a greater possibili.
When you use a foreign word that your readers will probably not know, the rule is to italicize it. Titles of books, journals and periodicals, films, and videos. As noted earlier, epa has an online subscription to the ap book on our intranet. When to use italics or quotation marks with foreign words. This doesnt reflect style elsewhere in the magazine, which is usually to italicize nonenglish words, unless they have entered common use in english, or appear in the main body of merriam. Some style guides include general advice about italicizing foreign words and phrases. The publication manual of the american psychological. Ap style is what the general public is accustomed to seeing because it is the official stylebook of the newspaper industry. I dont know if this will help, but for chapter style, ap says. Italicize latin words used in english except for alma mater, et cetera. The chicago manual of style and the ap stylebook differ on the typeface used for foreign words.
The ap stylebook, first published in 1953, is the bible for journalists. The same rule applies to words of fewer than four letters. When to use italics with foreign words in fiction quartz. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. In ap style, the names of newspapers and magazines are not italicized or set off in quotation marks. Italicize book and movie titles, plays, operas, recordings, musical compositions, newspapers, paintings, drawings, statues, other works of art and art exhibitions, periodicals journals and. The ap associated press style does not use italics in news stories at all, even to refer to titles. Participant when a character interjects foreign words into a. The following guidelines are rules set out in the ap stylebook for ap style book titles, computer game titles, ap style movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album titles, ap style song titles, radio and television titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, and work of art. Bilingual authors are challenging the practice of italicizing nonenglish words.
Our house style dictates that we italicize foreign words. When to put words in italics for apa papers pen and the pad. Words, phrases, and abbreviations of foreign origin that appear in a dictionary for the language in. Do not use italics for foreign phrases and abbreviations common in english i. In ap style, magazines names and titles are governed.
Unlike other stylebooks, the associated press does not italicize words in news stories, which makes things a whole lot easier to remember. Or for that matter, foreign words already assimilated into english like. Whatever kind of media youre working with, examine it through this principle. Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters.
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