Language

The language section of the ASG looks at the ways you can style words to convey your content as clearly as possible.

There are some 30 entries in this section, which cover the following general areas:

• short forms and symbols
• capitalisation and spelling
• formatting of non-English and scientific terms.

These areas of style can be the cause of uncertainty in writing and editing text, partly because the approach in some cases has changed over the years. For example, the capitalisation of short titles is no longer the most common style, and digital publishing has reduced the italics that were once used for Latin terms.

The ASG highlights some of these changes and the reasons for them to help you make the most informed choices, while keeping our focus on the fundamental style rules that have not changed.

As we do so, the 2 guiding principles we have followed in this section are:

1. Minimising punctuation – so every drop of ink (or pixel) earns its keep.
2. Minimising capitals – because the dash of gravitas they add can also worsen readability. 
   
   

For advice on how to style specific words that relate to people, organisations or places, please see the next category in our menu: People and places.