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Zettelkasten with a big Z?

SaschaSascha
in Project: Zettelkasten.de

Hi Zettlers,

are we writing Zettelkasten with the big Z or with the small?

Small z seems to be more consistent with English grammar.

Live long and prosper
Sascha

I am a Zettler

The Big Z
  1. Big Z or not?16 votes
    1. Zettelkasten
      87.50%
    2. zettelkasten
      12.50%

Comments

  • andang76andang76

    I use Zettelkasten when I refer to the method/concept itself or something that has a well defined identity ("the Zettelkasten", "Luhman Zettelkasten"). If the term is used in a generic way, I tend to use more zettelkasten. But I admit that I'm not always consistent, preferring almost always the Z.

    my zettelkasten tend to be Zettelkasten, it has a specific identity.

  • wjenkins81wjenkins81

    It's fine to respect the way a word is in its original language. I think doing so is actually a form of showing respect for the other language. If we dig into English grammar, there is a capitalization rule for proper nouns, which I think applies to Zettelkasten anyway.

    For what it's worth, I've been an English teacher and examiner of TOEFL and TOEIC English for a few years in the past.

  • AndyAndy

    I didn't vote because I am not consistent about capitalization in the forum. There are good reasons for either choice, and I agree with everything said above. In a published work, you should know what your capitalization rule is and stick to it.

  • ZettelDistractionZettelDistraction
    edited July 11

    I'm with @wjenkins81 on this: capitalize the 'Z' in Zettelkasten, which is a loan word from German. There is the question of number. In English, I've seen and used Zettelkasten as a zero noun without an appended letter 's', like 'fish' as opposed to 'cats'. @andang76 makes some good points, though for a book about the Zettelkasten method, I'd treat it as a loan word and spell it verbatim. We could ask the OED lexicographers for their 'Zettelkasten' file, hidden within their Zettelkasten.  

    :trollface:

    GitHub. Erdős #2. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein. Alter ego: Erel Dogg (not the first). CC BY-SA 4.0.

  • SaschaSascha

    Very interesting. I thought to switch to a small z because I thought the big z would stick out like a sore thumb.

    I'll reconsider my choice.

    I am a Zettler

  • ctietzectietze

    Some things do sticking out, but like beautiful flowers 🌻

    Z

    Author at Zettelkasten.de • https://christiantietze.de/

  • WillWill
    edited July 12

    It's not the name of a street.
    It's not the name of a person.
    It's not the name of a book.
    It's not the name of a movie.
    It's not the name of a song.
    It's not the name of a place.
    It's not the name of a company.
    It's not the name of a brand.
    It's not the name of a product.
    It's not the name of a lake.
    It's not the name of a mountain.
    Here is a woodworking analogy. I want to flex with the tool, and it is more of a generic saw than something specific like a Dozuki or Kugihiki Saw, which have fixed uses.
    Once the zettelkasten is formalized into a "Zettelkasten", it becomes precious and rigid.
    I wouldn't capitalize Will's Notes, Will's Thinking Canvas, Will's Writing Partner, My Filesystem of Learning Notes, My External Brain, My Super Duper Note Scheme, so why would I capitalize Zettelkasten?
    Let's deformalize and demystify a zettelkasten to make it more accessible and less intimidating.
    I never capitalize zettelkasten, unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.

    Post edited by Will on

    Will Simpson
    My peak cognition is behind me. One day soon, I will read my last book, write my last note, eat my last meal, and kiss my sweetie for the last time.
    My Internet Home — My Now Page

  • GeoEng51GeoEng51
    edited July 12

    I can't believe how much discussion this question has produced. My reasoning and practice goes with @andang76.

    I think Zettlekasten is consistent with capitalization rules in English for proper nouns: "A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (Africa; Jupiter; Sarah; Toyota) as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (continent, planet, person, corporation)..." (Wikipedia, "Proper noun"). So one can distinguish between Zettlekasten, the well defined method and the zettlekastens of all our readers.

  • EdmundEdmund

    And here is the next question: Zettlekasten or Zettelkasten?

    Edmund Gröpl
    100% organic thinking. Less than 5% AI-generated ideas.

  • SaschaSascha

    @Edmund said:
    And here is the next question: Zettlekasten or Zettelkasten?

    I will die before I will accept Zettlekasten. :D

    I am a Zettler

  • AndyAndy

    Didn't we settle this in a previous discussion when we coined the term:

    ZK®

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