2

Something I find a little tricky is whether to use italics or quotes for terms. In most cases, the terms I cite are not used repeatedly, but are one-time mentions.

So, for example, we have the following sentence:

The crest or kamon of the Tokugawa clan was the Aoi ("hollyhock").

So, here we have a couple of different terms that I have italicized, but then put the translation in quotes. Alternatively, I guess I could have used quotes, then put 'hollyhock' in single quotes. In that case, it would read like this:

The crest or "kamon" of the Tokugawa clan was the "Aoi" ('hollyhock').

It starts to get confusing when I have a sentence with a lot of different terms and translations in it. Is there a general set of rules or policies that are advisable in such cases?

Emma Dash
  • 1,962
  • 5
  • 23
  • 29
  • 1
    I prefer the first sentence using italicization. I think that's also the convention in the Chicago Manual and APA style. – Boondoggle Jul 05 '19 at 05:07
  • If you are using italics, there is no reason to also use quotation marks. The difference between italics in one place and roman text in the other is sufficient. And I prefer italics in general. In other words, I like your first version better; however, I would remove the quotation marks from the word in parentheses. – Jason Bassford Jul 05 '19 at 10:06
  • The crest or kamon of the Tokugawa clan was the Aoi (hollyhock). – Jason Bassford Jul 05 '19 at 10:07
  • 1
    There is no single agreed-upon set of rules for formatting, typography, punctuation; these are matters of style. You should therefore adhere to the discipline of your editor, publication, or organization, or in the absence of a house style, adopt a style manual appropriate to your audience and tastes and be consistent in its application. – choster Jul 12 '19 at 18:45

0 Answers0