Talk:Lúcia Moniz

Latest comment: 1 year ago by Edwin of Northumbria in topic Numbers

WikiProject class rating

edit

This article was automatically assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 23:15, 27 August 2007 (UTC)Reply

Numbers

edit

Hi @Edwin of Northumbria, thank you for improving the article, it seems you've put a significant amount of effort into it in the past few days. You and I have been going back and forth and changing the way numbers are written, however, and I figured it might be time to have a conversation about it. To my knowledge, most style guides (American ones, at least) recommend spelling out numbers up to twenty, and using digits for higher numbers. Could we just leave it at that? Revirvlkodlaku (talk) 14:08, 27 December 2022 (UTC)Reply

Hi Revirvlkodlaku.
In a word, no. (subtle joke)
If one follows New Hart's Rules (as directed by Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage[1]), then the advice is to "[u]se figures for ages expressed in ordinal numbers"[2] Also, APA Style (note country of origin) is to use numerals for "numbers 10 and above" and "numbers that represent time, date, ages, [...]" (my emphases).[3]
MOS:NUMERAL states that "[i]ntegers from zero to nine are spelled out in words", and that "[c]omparable values nearby one another should be all spelled out or all in figures, even if one of the numbers would normally be written differently" (my emphases).
I see no reason to depart from this here under WP:UCS. Indeed, since Moniz has acted in Portuguese and British (not American) English language productions, and the US is not (unlike the UK) a participant in the Eurovision Song Contest, there is an argument that British practice (i.e. Hart) should be followed.
Personally, I find numbers in text much easier to digest (and particularly to memorize) if they are expressed using numerals. I can see a certain logic, and perhaps an aesthetic reason for spelling out numbers less than ten, but not for numbers of two or more digits.
I am amending the article text in line with the above points, and hope you will respect this decision. I express gratitude for your thanks regarding my contribution to the article.
References:
  1. ^ Butterfield, Jeremy, ed. (2015). "Numerals". Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199661350.
  2. ^ Ritter, R. M., ed. (2005). New Hart's Rules. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 181. ISBN 9780198610410 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Gasque, Anne W., ed. (2010). Concise Rules of APA Style (Sixth ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association. pp. 85–86. ISBN 9781433805608 – via Internet Archive.
(Edwin of Northumbria (talk) 20:51, 27 December 2022 (UTC))Reply
P.S. This is not just a matter of style. Experimental evidence suggests when reading, people process numbers represented using digits rather than words faster and more accurately.
See:
Proverbio, Alice Mado; Bianco, Marco & De Benedetto, Francesco (2020). "Distinct Neural Mechanisms for Reading Arabic vs. Verbal Numbers: An ERP Study". European Journal of Neuroscience. 52 (11): 4480–4489. doi:10.1111/ejn.13938. ISSN 1460-9568. PMID 29753306. (also available via Wikipedia Library).
(Edwin of Northumbria (talk) 01:44, 28 December 2022 (UTC))Reply
Edwin of Northumbria, your argument is solid, and I'll follow your lead on this. Thanks for engaging :) Revirvlkodlaku (talk) 02:30, 28 December 2022 (UTC)Reply

Much appreciated! I hope my comments were informative. Have a good New Year – and if you're in North America, a warmer one!! (Edwin of Northumbria (talk) 02:44, 28 December 2022 (UTC))Reply

Yes, they absolutely were, and logical, as well. Sometimes I get stuck in a box and have trouble getting out of it, so it helps to get a little friendly nudge once in a while. Happy new year to you as well, and yes, I am in Alberta, so warm weather is certainly one thing I can wish for, though probably to no avail 😩🥶 Revirvlkodlaku (talk) 02:50, 28 December 2022 (UTC)Reply

Oh my goodness, that's pretty "North". Take care!! (Edwin of Northumbria (talk) 02:57, 28 December 2022 (UTC))Reply