Author Topic: Capitalization question (Read 3730 times)

Jonathon · « **on:** February 18, 2008, 01:05:15 PM »

I have a question about some capitalization that I frequently see on the forums that I don't understand. There's probably no way to ask this without sounding like I think everyone who does it is stupid or ill-educated, but I'm honestly curious and am not trying to be condescending or judgmental.

So here goes: why does (almost) everyone write "Happy Birthday," regardless of where it appears in the sentence, rather than "Happy birthday" or "happy birthday"?

rivka · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2008, 01:18:56 PM »

Because we have been brainwashed by Hallmark.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2008, 01:40:17 PM »

I will sometimes capitalize the first letters of Very Important Things for emphasis. Happy Birthday falls into that category.

Jonathon · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2008, 01:41:49 PM »

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Because we have been brainwashed by Hallmark.

Because "Happy Birthday" is always capitalized on Hallmark cards?

rivka · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2008, 01:47:29 PM »

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Because we have been brainwashed by Hallmark.
Because "Happy Birthday" is always capitalized on Hallmark cards?

Pretty sure. Haven't bought any in ages, but that's my recollection. Except when it's in all caps.

Also, usually followed by at least one exclamation point.

pooka · « **Reply #5 on:** February 19, 2008, 06:51:47 AM »

I would capitalize it for the same reason I capitalize Independence Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas. I also think it can be capitalized for the same reasons we capitalize the names of the days of the week, if we do so.

Do we?

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #6 on:** February 19, 2008, 07:16:30 AM »

We Do*!

*For days ending in a "y".

Jonathon · « **Reply #7 on:** February 19, 2008, 08:01:10 AM »

But even if people are capitalizing "birthday" by analogy of holidays and days of the week (which, to be honest, still doesn't make sense to me), that doesn't explain why "happy" is capitalized, too (when it's not the beginning of a sentence).

pooka · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2008, 08:09:01 AM »

Because "Happy Birthday!" is an introjective phrase, I'd guess. I don't see it as one of the great offenses against English. But I guess you're also welcome to not captilize it.

Jonathon · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2008, 08:22:55 AM »

Introjective?

I never said it was one of the great offenses against English. I'm just a little weirded out that there is such perfect consistency in its capitalization. It's like at some point everybody decided to capitalize it, but I missed the memo.

Porter · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2008, 08:27:46 AM »

*sends Jonathon the memo*

rivka · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2008, 09:53:41 AM »

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I'm just a little weirded out that there is such perfect consistency in its capitalization. It's like at some point everybody decided to capitalize it, but I missed the memo.

I was partly kidding, but I was also serious. Look at the Google Images results for "happy birthday": lots of all caps and the occasional all lower case, but lots and lots of Happy Birthday. That's what everyone sees on cards, balloons, cakes, etc.

Also, it's a song title.

Jonathon · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2008, 09:55:48 AM »

Actually, that would be "Happy Birthday to You."

rivka · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2008, 10:18:14 AM »

Officially, sure. What do most people call it in casual conversation?

Porter · « **Reply #14 on:** February 19, 2008, 10:19:24 AM »

The "Happy Birthday" song.

rivka · « **Reply #15 on:** February 19, 2008, 07:12:07 PM »

Your witness.

Jonathon · « **Reply #16 on:** February 19, 2008, 07:47:44 PM »

Okay. I guess it doesn't matter what the official title is if everyone thinks it's something else.

rivka · « **Reply #17 on:** February 19, 2008, 08:33:59 PM »

Descriptivist.

Jonathon · « **Reply #18 on:** February 19, 2008, 09:02:41 PM »

Yeah, but I still think all you "Happy Birthday" capitalizers are wrong, so what does that make me?

rivka · « **Reply #19 on:** February 19, 2008, 09:13:15 PM »

Probably right.

pooka · « **Reply #20 on:** February 20, 2008, 12:36:42 PM »

But then why should Merry Christmas and Happy New Year be capitalized? Neither "Merry" nor "Happy" is actually part of the name of the holiday. "New Year" by itself doesn't really describe anything.

Jonathon · « **Reply #21 on:** February 20, 2008, 12:38:58 PM »

Who said they should be capitalized? (Well, obviously, "Christmas" should be capitalized, but probably not "new year," since it seems to me that it's referring to the actual year and not the holiday of New Year's Day.)

pooka · « **Reply #22 on:** February 21, 2008, 06:20:26 AM »

Well, it just depends on whether you want to be proscriptivist or descriptivist about it. It just seems like if one wants to start insisting that English make sense, there are bigger fish to fry. I'm not sure what I'd consider to be the biggest fish, though. It's a bit like saying that there are too many daisies on the emporer's ducky swim ring.

Porter · « **Reply #23 on:** February 21, 2008, 07:41:29 AM »

If I got to choose which fish to fry, I don't know if I'd start with removing pointless (IMO) rules (such as not ending a sentence with a preposition, less vs. fewer, obliteration of the word whom), or spelling.

Jonathon · « **Reply #24 on:** February 21, 2008, 08:00:10 AM »

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Well, it just depends on whether you want to be proscriptivist or descriptivist about it. It just seems like if one wants to start insisting that English make sense, there are bigger fish to fry. I'm not sure what I'd consider to be the biggest fish, though. It's a bit like saying that there are too many daisies on the emporer's ducky swim ring.

You asked why holiday greetings should be capitalized, which in my mind is another way of saying, "What is the prescription for capitalizing holiday greetings?" Why don't you tell me? There isn't one that I am aware of.