Uppercase or Lowercase? Some Factors in Spelling Normalization

The article examines several linguistic factors that affect the use of the uppercase grapheme, which do not apply to all lexical material but only to certain categories of names. The semantization factor is associated with the acquisition of common meanings by some proper names through metonymic or metaphorical transfer; however, some names shift to lowercase, while others retain capitalization (оливье ‘salad’, наполеон ‘cake’, but Гулливер ‘tall man’, Чернобыль ‘nuclear disaster’). The factor of desemantization (loss of vocabulary meaning by the name) is also not orthographically absolute. Its influence on spelling is confirmed by the examples of Голая Пристань (city), Охотный Ряд (street), Марьина Роща (district), Стрелка (district in Nizhny Novgorod). However, in some cases spelling variation occurs: for example, when an individual name turns into the name of a series of objects (сапсан ~ «Сапсан», «метеор» ~ «Метеор», etc.). The plurality factor is associated with generalized usage; therefore, it is assumed that it promotes lowercase spelling, especially in the presence of negative evaluative connotation. However, frequent non-unique examples of such generalization do not consistently confirm this tendency (cf. Швондеры и Шариковы, выросшие Поттеры).

The iconic factor is not always distinguished from the axiological factor, has not been fully recognized in linguistic theory, but both factors have a certain effect (with regard to major events, global institutions, and some sacral concepts). The abbreviation factor also acts selectively: contrary to the rule, an increasing number of phonetic abbreviations in modern writing are formed without capital letters (ковид, вип, пин-код, sometimes спид). The phraseologization factor concerns, for example, names in which the generic term precedes the proper name and is inseparable from it (А/аллея звезд, в/Война Алой и Белой розы). The foreign-language factor applies to nominations written in Latin letters within Cyrillic texts; it primarily concerns trademarks, ergonyms, and similar names.