# Is there any way to romanize quoted text? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 21, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216 "2005-06-21T16:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/21 "2005-06-22T18:36:22Z")
No, we get you; we’re just not sure how we can give you what you want. I’m gonna go experiment with some stuff and get back to you. Sorry for the delay. your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/22 "2005-06-22T18:36:50Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > > [@ultrafilter](#): > > > > That’s what I would do, but the OP was asking if there was any tag that could be placed as I’ve placed the pseudo-tag above to avoid the italics. > > Um, no, that’s _not_ what I was asking. Of course, I realize _after_ clicking “Submit Reply” that your pseudo-tag could be placed anywhere in the quote. :smack: You’re right, that _is_ what I’m looking for. Sorry for the knee-jerk frustration. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/23 "2005-06-22T18:42:47Z")
**Zebra** , I’m not sure how what you suggest is different from **Pleonast** ’s or **bordelond** ’s posts… 😕 **TubaDiva** , I appreciate your attention to this thread, but really there is no “give me what I want” involved. The OP was meant to be a simple yes/no question about whether a certain tag exists, that’s all. It either does or it doesn’t, and it seems like it doesn’t. But I was just curious, and I don’t particularly care that it doesn’t: my frustration is because you and **ultrafilter** seem to be the only ones who got what I was asking. I try not to post molehills that turn into mountains, but I’m not doing a great job this time around. So you (or anyone else) can just go ahead and close this, if you want. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/24 "2005-06-22T19:01:36Z")
The tags you want are {/i} … {/i} in that order. It undoes the italics. Isn’t that what you want? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/25 "2005-06-22T19:07:07Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > The tags you want are {/i} … {/i} in that order. _It undoes the italics_. Isn’t that what you want? Test ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/26 "2005-06-22T19:47:05Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > **TubaDiva** , I appreciate your attention to this thread, but really there is no “give me what I want” involved. The OP was meant to be a simple yes/no question about whether a certain tag exists, that’s all. It either does or it doesn’t, and it seems like it doesn’t. But I was just curious, and I don’t particularly care that it doesn’t: my frustration is because you and **ultrafilter** seem to be the only ones who got what I was asking. The administrators are, I think, able to write custom vB codes, so if there is a way to do what you want, **TubaDiva** is the right person to ask. And don’t worry, several other people did understand what you were talking about, but just didn’t answer since there was nothing they could say that was of value. I’ve also run into the same problem as you in the past, and at the time I wished that the [i] tag was defined to italicize when in normal text and romanize when in attributed quotes, but that’s not what it does. Maybe **Tuba** will find a way. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/27 "2005-06-22T19:51:43Z")
> [@](#): > > The tags you want are {/i} … {/i} in that order. Doh! That should be {/i} … {i} using square brackets. And **bordelond** , it’ll only work in a non-attributed quote (see my example above). So, not exactly fulfilling the OP’s request, but producing the desired result. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/28 "2005-06-22T20:16:22Z")
> [@severus](#): > > And don’t worry, several other people did understand what you were talking about, but just didn’t answer since there was nothing they could say that was of value. I’ve also run into the same problem as you in the past, and at the time I wished that the [i] tag was defined to italicize when in normal text and romanize when in attributed quotes, but that’s not what it does. Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/29 "2005-06-22T21:54:05Z")
What they said. 🙂 Just wasn’t sure if there was something global in the quote tag that made that not work properly, disregarding font changes in quoted material. There apparently is in the “autoquote,” but if you’re building your own, of course you can do it to suit yourself. I’ll fiddle with it some more when I have time, but I suspect you’re not going to be able to override the autoquote setup. your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/30 "2005-06-22T21:58:20Z")
Looking at the source, the autoquotes are marked off by \
. I don’t think you can override that without mucking with the VB templates so it’s not there. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/31 "2005-06-22T22:25:13Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > What they said. 🙂 Thanks. 🙂 It was frustrating enough to feel like I suddenly stopped writing in English, but then I also have a personal pet peeve with threads like this that go on longer than necessary and start being taken too seriously. I don’t want to be that guy!! 😉 > [@ultrafilter](#): > > I don’t think you can override that without mucking with the VB templates so it’s not there. Ooh! Ooh! Can we muck with the VB templates? Puh-leeeeeeeze? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/32 "2005-06-22T22:37:58Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Looking at the source, the autoquotes are marked off by \
. I don’t think you can override that without mucking with the VB templates so it’s not there. Maybe it’s possible to redefine the vB standard codes, with something like \\ for the autoquotes and with a mechanism that checks if we’re inside an autoquote when the \* tag is used and replaces it with \ if so (and \ if not, as it does now). Of course, that’s not such an important problem, so **Tuba** , don’t spend time on this if you’re busy with something else. **Misnomer** , you’re welcome! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/33 "2005-06-23T05:53:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*When _text_ is quoted with an attribution, it is _automatically_ italicized. Is there any tag I can apply that will _romanize_ parts of quoted text, instead of using bold for _emphasis_? > > For example:\* like this? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/34 "2005-06-23T14:49:23Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > When text is quoted with an attribution, it is automatically italicized. Is there any tag I can apply that will _romanize_ parts of quoted text, instead of using bold for emphasis? > > For example: test with coding turned off ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/35 "2005-06-23T14:50:59Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > When text is quoted with an attribution, it is automatically italicized. Is there any tag I can apply that will _romanize_ parts of quoted text, instead of using bold for emphasis? > > For example: test with coding turned on ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/36 "2005-06-23T14:55:13Z")
```auto [QUOTE] **Misnomer** : *When text is quoted with an attribution, it is automatically italicized. Is there any tag I can apply that will *romanize* parts of quoted text, instead of using bold for emphasis?* [/QUOTE] ``` test with coding turned off, quote tags modified to oldstyle and italic tags manually added at front and end. Yep, you have to change the quote tags. the [QUOTE=username] variety won’t let you unitalicize anything. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/37 "2005-06-23T14:57:59Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > like this? No. Please read the entire thread. > [@AHunter3](#): > > Yep, you have to change the quote tags. Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. Cool window-with-scroll-bars in the middle of that last post, though! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/38 "2005-06-23T15:28:55Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Cool window-with-scroll-bars in the middle of that last post, though! 🆒 That’s done with {code}{/code}. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/39 "2005-06-24T17:06:07Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > No. Please read \*\*the entire \*thread. This is a test\*\* to see if incorrectly\* nested tags will still work. > [@](#): > > Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. Cool \*\*window-with-scroll-bars in the middle of that \*last post, though! 🆒 We will also\* add a few other incorrect tags around here, _to see what will_ happen. On preview, it appears that [/quote] tags also close tags that were opened inside of the quote, as long as there is a closing tag placed somewhere later. As for , \* and \*\* tags, they can be somewhat used incorrectly and still work. I will post this message to see what the source code looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216/40 "2005-06-24T17:15:25Z")
I think how you see the message I just posted really depends on what browser you’re using. It did produce incorrect HTML code. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-romanize-quoted-text/309216.md?page=3)