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Archive 1 – covering discussions from 2004 – Nov 2006, including plagiarism problems with the first two versions of the article and discussion of the intro
Archive 2 – covering discussions from Nov 2006 – Feb 2007, including peer reviews and nomination for FA
National spelling
There's been a minor revert war over the English/American spelling issue. The article was written in American English and an editor changed it to English. With respect to the long-time editors here, I think the English variety ought to be used. Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English basically says:
If there is a strong tie to a specific region/dialect, use that dialect. ... Proper names should retain their original spellings, for example, United States Department of Defense and Australian Defence Force. Articles that focus on a topic specific to a particular English-speaking country should generally conform to the usage and spelling of that country.
And yes, it says "Stay with established spelling" if there is no reason to change. But that's later in the guidelines, and the guidelines state that These guidelines are given roughly in order of importance; those earlier in the list will usually take precedence over later ones. But I think Shelley's lifelong identity with and residency in England is an identifiable tie to that spelling, which is a fine enough reason to change, I think. This isn't a case where the article subject is basically not national-specific, and there's no clear reason to prefer any spelling. At least, could we please talk about it here? --lquilter12:26, 15 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, Wollstonecraft was British, but she is well known and read throughout the English-speaking world. Would you really consider Wollstonecraft a "topic specific to a particular English-speaking country"? I wouldn't. Kaldari23:28, 15 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Also, changing the spelling of the words is not the only thing that would have to change in the article. A national dialect is NOT only defined by its spelling - syntax and vocabulary would have to be changed as well. The Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English is a "guide" not a policy. I feel that it is a rather absurd "policy" because if one were to literally follow it in Wollstonecraft's case (and by the way it is Mary Wollstonecraft, not Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley as suggested in one of the comments above), the entire article should be written in eighteenth-century British English. I don't think anyone wants me to do that. Moreover, Wollstonecraft did not have a life-long identification with England. She lived in France for several years and was an avid supporter of the French Revolution. Eighteenth-century "people of letters" were not as nationalististic as nineteenth or twentieth-century "people of letters." The nation-state did not really come into its own until the nineteenth century. See all the scholarship on the rise of nationalism and the nation-state. Finally, I feel that it would be much more productive if people contributed content to the page rather than quibbling with its spelling.Awadewit00:02, 16 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
