SFWG Study Hall

I hadn't really thought about this, but I'll just post my review of the poll here:

It depends on the context in which you are writing. Yes, and ethnic grop should be capitalized, but it also depends on refernces. I wuld say that these names would not be capitalized if they are being treated in a "sub-normal" level. For example, in the sentence,

"The group of adventurers awoke to find themselves surrounded by a swarm of goblins."

The goblins wuldn't be capitalized (I think) because they are nt being treated as a proper noun, but as something inhuman. The word could easily be replaced by "rats" or any other fantasy monster.

Now, if the grou is recognized as a social group, like an organization f humane beings, then the word becomes capitalized. example,

"The Goblins in the city rioted because of the prejudice they felt from the Human majority."

Now the goblins are recognized as something other than a "thing." Now that they are being represented with human qualities, rather than a band of savages, the word goblins becomes proper. An example of both cases would be,

"The chaos began when the orcs attacked the Dwarvan stronhold."

That's the way I would difine it at least.

Of course, it's probably safer to simply capitalize every instance of the words, just to be safe, because the line is fine. Or non-existent.

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting."
E. E. Cummings

~~Griffer - Raider of SFWG