Inconsistent hyphenation: online vs. off-line

threexk - July 1, 2008 - 07:15
Project:Drupal
Version:7.x-dev
Component:user interface text
Category:bug report
Priority:minor
Assigned:Unassigned
Status:closed
Description

Online and offline are hyphenated inconsistently: "online" is spelled as such in most places; "off-line" is spelled as such in most places. This makes things look weird when the two are displayed side-by-side, as on the site maintenance page for instance.

I suggest that online stay the same and off-line drop its hyphen. Rationale:

  • Online is most commonly used today as an unhyphenated word (by my judgment and Google search); on-line seems stilted.
  • Offline is also most commonly used today as an unhyphenated word (by my judgment and Google search). It is recognized by the American Heritage Dictionary as the first spelling, Random House Unabridged Dictionary as the second spelling, and Merriam-Webster as not a spelling at all. So dictionary opinions vary, but it is recognized as valid by the majority.
  • Dropping the hyphen will save bytes. (just kidding)
AttachmentSize
consistent_offline_and_online_hyphenation.patch22.34 KB

#1

threexk - July 1, 2008 - 07:16
Status:active» patch (code needs review)

#2

keith.smith - July 1, 2008 - 08:04

I support this patch because it introduces some additional consistency and removes a hyphen that, although it in some cases is just as proper depending on whom one consults, is rather unnecesary. The way we do "e-mail" is another possible case for a similar change.

#3

catch - July 1, 2008 - 11:44
Category:feature request» bug report

Yay consistency.

#4

catch - July 1, 2008 - 11:52
Status:patch (code needs review)» patch (reviewed & tested by the community)

Meant to set RTBC.

#5

Dries - July 1, 2008 - 20:24
Status:patch (reviewed & tested by the community)» fixed

Committed to CVS HEAD. Thanks.

#6

Anonymous (not verified) - July 15, 2008 - 20:33
Status:fixed» closed

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for two weeks with no activity.

 
 

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