Dr. Andreas Lorenczuk highlights that the debate over lowercase writing is far from new. The preference for lowercase has existed for over two centuries, particularly in Germany, where the Brothers Grimm, famous for their fairytales, were strong proponents of avoiding capital letters for nouns. In the early 20th century, modernist writers like Stefan George embraced lowercase as an aesthetic and almost religious choice. The 1960s and 70s saw leftist thinkers using “kleinschreibung” (small-letter writing) as a symbol of non-conformity and progressiveness. Even today, some people continue the practice, and Lorenczuk expects the trend to spread further across generations.
Janet Fraser presents a counterpoint, noting that while Gen Z finds uppercase letters authoritarian and rigid, lowercase aligns with their preference for simplicity. However, she argues that uppercase letters serve a crucial purpose as navigational tools in writing, making text easier to read. Without capitalization, readers must work harder to decipher meaning. She suggests that what one group sees as simplification may create unintended complexity for others, reinforcing the value of traditional writing conventions.
Nancy Barth takes a personal stance, refusing to capitalize the name of Donald Trump or anyone from his administration, citing a lack of respect. As a retired teacher and proofreader, she acknowledges that people should have the freedom to use capitalization as they wish, even if it sometimes pains her to see certain conventions disregarded.
Steve Carter adds historical context, noting that lowercase writing was popular among Unix users in the 1980s and 90s, often as a stylistic choice rather than necessity. He recalls a former boss who used uppercase when emailing him but switched to lowercase when addressing Unix developers. Carter believes that omitting capital letters, like misspelling words, can make text harder to read and interpret, reducing clarity and precision.
Clare Butler attributes the rise of lowercase writing to convenience. As a copy editor, she often skips capital letters when texting informally, finding them cumbersome to insert on mobile devices. She predicts that as more people adopt lowercase in everyday communication, it will eventually become an accepted norm.
Peter Pullman approaches capitalization from a philosophical perspective. He stopped capitalizing religions after realizing he did not do so for ideologies like “humanism” or “liberalism.” To him, it felt inconsistent to privilege religious terms over other belief systems. He later extended this approach to times and dates, questioning why we capitalize “October” or “Monday” but not “noon” or “midnight.” However, he still considers names and places worthy of capitalization.
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