Proper Noun and Adjectives

Copyeditors are instructed to check or question the spelling of every proper noun (person, place, organization, etc.) and appropriate adjective in a document. Well-known names can be checked in the dictionary, either in the main part or in supplementary biographical and geographical lists at the rear of the book. On some assignments, it is more convenient to use general or specialized reference volumes rather than querying the author or hoping that the author would catch any problems during the copyediting review.

For a manuscript with a few proper nouns whose spelling you cannot confirm, you should ask each unconfirmed spelling, “Spelling OK?” You don’t need to question each of the hundreds of unknown, unverifiable proper nouns in a document. Instead, in a cover note, emphasize to the author that he or she should take special care to double-check the spelling of all proper nouns.

Proper nouns translated into English from other languages may have many forms or spellings. Nonspecialists may refer to Spanish monarchs and princes as Peter, Charles, Philip, or James in articles and books; scholarly readers, on the other hand, will expect to see Pedro, Carlos, Felipe, and Jaime. Transliterated names open up a plethora of new possibilities; the variations on “Tchaikovsky” (the form given in M-WCollegiate) are legendary.

The choice of variants is sometimes political rather than orthographic. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, some newly independent republics altered the spelling of their names to match local preferences; for example, Belarus (previously Byelorussia), Kyrgyzstan (formerly Kirgizia), Moldova (formerly Moldavia), and Tajikistan (formerly Tadzhikistan). Some naming disputes (the Falkland Islands or the Malvinas) are also about politics and philosophy. When the author’s spelling or name choice differs from that in your reference books, it is preferable to contact the author rather than rewrite the manuscript.

Authors of historical works typically use the place names used during the period under consideration. In a study of the Russian Revolution, the city presently known as St. Petersburg would be known as Petrograd, while in a study of World War II, it would be known as Leningrad.

Foreign proper nouns, unlike other foreign terms, are not italicized.

• The Biblioteca Nacional is in Madrid.
• The Rue des Ursins is on the Ile de la Cité.