Most Internet terminology is too new to have stabilized, and there is
considerable debate on terms such as "website/Website/web site/Web
site." I've gathered some material on the subject for you.
"How should the term 'website' be written in official documents and on
the web? Should it be website or web site, and should there be a
capital W?
It always takes a little time for new words to settle to a
standardized form. Our most recent dictionary, the revised 11th
edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, published in July 2004,
shows website as the standard form, and future dictionaries will
reflect this.
We recommend capital initials for Internet, World Wide Web, the Web,
but not for individual sites."
AskOxford: Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/usage/website?view=uk
"Question: Which is correct -- Web site, web site, Website, or
website? Should this be one word or two? Should it be capitalized?
Answer: This word has evolved in record time, reflecting the rate at
which the World Wide Web has become a vital part of our society. The
term began as two words with a capital W: Web site. Today you might
see the term any of these four ways. Most recent dictionaries probably
show it as web site. That's how it is shown in the most recent edition
of the Oxford English Dictionary. However, the publisher has announced
that usage has evolved to the point that website is clearly accepted,
and that is the spelling their next edition will show."
Grammar and More: LinguaPhile, August 2003
http://www.grammarandmore.com/edu/archive/issue37.htm#qa
"Is it Web site, Website, website or web site? This is one case, if
there ever was one, where it is every linguist for himself. It is safe
to say that the French-style WebSite can be ruled out. You do not need
two capital letters in a single word! But what about the initial one?
Traditionally, the word Web has been capitalised because it refers to
the proper name, the World Wide Web, which is part of the Internet,
also a proper name and also traditionally capitalised.
However, for both of these words, writers around the world seem to be
growing increasingly impatient with all that fussy capitalisation...
For the time being, it looks like the approach to the term Web site
should simply be determined by your mood and the context in which you
are writing."
Translation Directory: Unsolved mysteries: Web site or website?
http://www.translationdirectory.com/article146.htm
"website...
VARIANT FORMS: or Web site
NOUN: A set of interconnected webpages, usually including a homepage,
generally located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a
collection of information by a person, group, or organization.
USAGE NOTE: The transition from World Wide Web site to Web site to
website seems to have progressed as rapidly as the technology itself.
The development of website as a single uncapitalized word mirrors the
development of other technological expressions which have tended to
evolve into unhyphenated forms as they become more familiar. Thus
email has recently been gaining ground over the forms E-mail and
e-mail, especially in texts that are more technologically oriented.
Similarly, there has been an increasing preference for closed forms
like homepage, online, and printout."
Bartleby: The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language
http://www.bartleby.com/61/57/W0075725.html
"Question: Which is the proper usage - Web site or Website?
Answer: This has been a major debate on the World Wide Web that still
hasn't been properly resolved. However the Second Edition MS Manual of
Style for Technical Publications says the correct usage is Website.
This is also backed by the Third Edition MS Press Computer Dictionary.
Webster's Dictionary lists Web site as being proper usage, but they
give no reasons to back it up.
We believe that proper usage is Website with a capital 'W'. According
to Miss Grammar, 'Website is not a compound noun...' Because it is a
proper noun, it would be one word with a capital W."
Webmaster Techniques: Webmaster Questions and Answers
http://www.webmastertechniques.com/Insight/website.html
"In truth, all of these 'cyberwords' are so new to the English lexicon
that they are still very much in the process of evolving. If they
follow the evolutionary path of earlier words in our language, then
all spaces, hyphens, and capital letters will eventually be whittled
away and we will be left with internet, email, website, and online.
In the meantime, though, we can look at how several reputable sources
weigh in on these words and phrases.
Our lexicon of choice, Merriam-Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
(10th ed.)... has no listing for the compound website and no listing
for the single word Web (i.e., as a proper noun). Instead, it gives us
World Wide Web and notes that it is 'also called Web.' Thus we can
infer that Web site would be two words, the first of which should be
capitalized.
Keep in mind, of course, that when the phrase Web site is used as an
adjective preceding a noun, we hyphenate it just as we do other
multiple-word adjectives that embody a single meaning. We write
'Please visit our Web site' because in this sentence, Web site is a
noun phrase. But we would write 'Fred is a talented Web-site
designer.'
The American Heritage Dictionary lists the closed compound website...
American Heritage also capitalizes both Internet and the shortened
form of that word, Net.
On its Internet FAQ page, our style manual of choice, The Chicago
Manual of Style... prefers the nouns Internet and Web site, although
the editors confess on the FAQ page that the manual 'has not
established a standard, but is waiting a while for the dust to settle
on these questions.' So until the dust does settle, simply select a
reputable dictionary and follow it consistently."
Get It Write: Cyberlanguage:
http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/100101.htm
Regarding "webpage/Webpage/web page/Web page," the debate runs along
similar lines. A Google search for "webpage" turns up 13,800,000 hits,
while "web page" brings 28,900,000 (Google ignores capitalization).
If you look up "Web page" in Wikipedia, you'll be redirected to
"webpage." Wikipedia uses "webpage" (no capitalization) throughout the
page:
"A webpage or web page is a 'page' of the World Wide Web, usually in
HTML/XHTML format (the file extensions are typically htm or html) and
with hypertext links to enable navigation from one page or section to
another."
Wikipedia: Webpage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_page
"All of these terms have come into regular use within the past ten
years, so it should come as no surprise that there is no consensus on
which forms are appropriate. None of these differences, with the
possible exception of 'webpage' versus 'web page', is so enormous to
allow us to predict which terms will eventually win out. It is
particularly striking that many of these pages use both forms of a
term, suggesting that web page designers may not even be conscious of
their use of different forms.
What, then, do I have to say about what you should do? Well, those of
you who know my attitudes towards language usage will not be surprised
to hear that I'm not about to tell you. In general, you should use
what makes sense and is understandable, and not worry too much about
official rules. Try to be consistent, but be willing to accept the
fact that the form you prefer may not win out in the end. Our language
has hundreds of millions of speakers and hundreds of dialects. To
enforce a single way of doing things is the sort of linguistic fascism
that we absolutely must not have in a free society. Those who would
mock you for writing 'email' instead of 'e-mail' are ridiculous
pedants whose linguistic bullying is probably compensating for a lack
of creativity and wit. Matters of style and usage will become more
regular over time, and these things will sort themselves out
eventually, for better or for worse."
Phrontistery: Web Word Worries
http://phrontistery.info/disq4.html
My dictionary of choice for most matters is Merriam-Webster's
Unabridged Dictionary. I am using Version 3.0 on CD-ROM. Here's what
Merriam-Webster says:
"Main Entry:web site
Function:noun
Usage:usually capitalized W
:a group of World Wide Web pages usually containing hyperlinks to
each other and made available on-line [sic] by an individual, company,
or organization"
In case it matters to anyone, I have changed my pattern of usage. When
I first became a Google Answers Researcher, I generally used "Web
site" and "Web page." Exposure to many reputable sources which used
"website" and "webpage" won me over; although I can't claim absolute
consistency, I most often use "website" and "webpage" today.
Occasionally I am challenged by a diehard defender of "Web site" and
"Web page" who finds my usage to be abominable, but I chalk that up to
arrant pedantry, up with which I shall not put. ;-)
My Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: "website or web site" OR "web site or website"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22website+or+web+site%22+OR+%22web+site+or+website%22
Google Web Search: "webpage or web page" OR "web page or webpage"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22webpage+or+web+page%22+OR+%22web+page+or+webpage%22
I hope this is precisely the kind of information you need. If anything
is unclear or incomplete, or if a link doesn't work for you, please
request clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before
you rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
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