Uppercase and lowercase: major and minor

Although it may seem obvious, remember that we don't speak in uppercase or lowercase . The difference between these two types of letters is merely graphic; that is, the same letter, whether uppercase or lowercase, represents the same sound.

They are differentiated by size, hence their charming names. The uppercase letter comes from the Latin maiusculus , a diminutive of maior , meaning "greater"; something like " mayorcita ." The lowercase letter , from the Latin minusculus , means "menorcita ."

Choosing one font or another isn't a matter of choice (what a creative achievement that word is!); on the contrary, in languages ​​that use this distinction —and not all do—its use is conventionally established by spelling .

It compares, for example, the maximalist use of capital letters in German , which uses them for the initial letter of all nouns; the intermediate use in English , where initial capital letters are abundant; and that of Spanish, where the tendency is to write with a lowercase initial letter, much to the chagrin of many.

You only have to read any text written in the Dominican Republic to notice that we have a tendency towards capital letters .

This humorous term passes off our deep-rooted belief that capital letters add relevance and distinction , while lowercase letters flatten and discredit, as an inflammatory orthographic disease.

Nothing to do with reality. The rules for the use of upper and lower case letters have been defined in our orthography throughout history, until they became more systematic with the publication of our academic work, Orthography of the Spanish Language , in 2010 .

Check it out; it's available in book format and also in a free, open-access digital version on the Royal Spanish Academy 's website. You'll find a very useful guide to help you decide when to choose each font.

The punctuation rules governing the use of capital letters are clear. We learn them by reading well-written texts and by using them. However, there are other contexts with which we are not as familiar and which occasionally cause us discomfort.

Let's consider this example: The Eñe column in the online edition of Diario Libre celebrates the launch of the Dictionary of Dominican Spanish . (I recognize a touch of narcissism in the example.) It cites the titles of three publications in which the use of the initial capital letter changes.

For column titles (as for articles, chapters, etc.) and book titles (as for films or paintings), only the first word is capitalized; for newspaper titles, however, we capitalize all significant words: Diario Libre , Listín Diario, Nuevo Diario, La Información, etc.

The contexts are endless. Look for and learn the rules that apply to the situations you encounter most frequently in your work. For all other situations, refer to the Spelling Guide , familiarize yourself with its sections, and consult it whenever you can.

You know that spelling doubts are very healthy, as long as we know where to go to resolve them.

It is always worth keeping in mind that Academic Orthography reminds us that capital letters are the exception, and that it is advisable, in case of doubt about the application of a rule, to follow the general recommendation of preferring lowercase letters.

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