When people insist on using lower-case letters for their names. . .

[crypto]

@Keeve

Ditto.

I recall the conversation when Prince changed his name to that unpronouncable symbol. Personally, I was pretty put off by this change, and couldn’t figure out whether he even had a right to do such a wacky thing. Then I saw an article where someone had written that there is no human right more basic than the right to decide how other people will refer to you. That logic was so appealing that it totally won me over.

But in Prince’s case, he was an unpronouncable symbol. That was just plain stupid if he was going for some sort of unique way for everyone to refer to him. There was no way to refer to Prince in speech except as either “Prince” or “the artist formerly known as Prince”. I think he did it for a publicity grab, and it worked. If I remember correctly, he wasn’t exactly at the top of the charts at the time.

@Red_Stilettos

I also know an academic who insists on lowercase letters for his name. In his case, he says it’s because his name is so common, this sets him apart. The problem is journals don’t follow his request (and he does push the issue). Even if they did, the literature databases wouldn’t distinguish between upper and lower case. So, ultimately his point is moot and he’s just being difficult. Unfortunately, that’s the reputation that precedes him, not his actual work. And, no, he isn’t an artist. He’s a scientist.

This is funny. You could always point out to him that if he actually did something that was outstanding, everyone would not only remember his name, but attach HIM *to *the name. Now, he’s being remembered, but for the wrong reason.
People are strange. If they want to write their name in all lower case, ok by me. But when you are trying to change a convention ingrained in the common communication experience, you are being a pain in the ass.

The only way I’d spell someone’s name with a lower case is if that’s how it appeared on their birth certificate. In other words, that was their legal name. I’m not going to piss on a guy’s legal name, even if I think it’s stupid. If George Costanza named his kid “7”, I would address him in an email as 7. I’m not going to be a dick just because his parents were idiots.

Which brings me to Louis C.K. I recently read that the C.K., when read aloud, sounds like his real last name. He supposedly thought that people would be able to remember and pronounce his name correctly by doing this. Perhaps. But I still find it annoying and pompous. Maybe a little less so with the explaination. But I don’t believe the explaination. He used it to set himself apart from other stand up comedians, and it worked. Now there is some other boob out there doing the same thing.

If I was going to choose a way to annoy people with names, I’d make people spell their names as they’d appear on a 7-letter vanity plate. For example, Louis CK would be changed to “LEW SCK”

HA!

[Stan_Shmenge]

I knew someone IRL that insisted on this. I immediately thought “this person is a mental case”. Subsequent experience bore this out. Consider it a heads up that you are dealing with a nut.

[Jaledin]

Your colleague is a total cunt. Even E. E. Cummings didn’t spell his name in miniscule. Just some stupid-ass editor thought it would be cute. I say you kill that bitch, and make it hurt.

And I’d say the same if it were a man-editor – no miso-soup-gyneco-hatred-y here. Cut his dick off, or something else bad.

[handsomeharry]

@Kimstu

Not to hijack, but I’m curious as to why omitting capital letters would be considered pretentious or even passive-aggressive (!) in a first name or surname, but not in an alias or username.

shiftless, is your own username spelling meant as an “attention grabbing hook”? And Acsenray, IIRC you used to use a lowercase initial “a” for your name on these boards: were you being precious or passive-aggessive then?

I wonder if we’re perhaps reading too much psychological weight into other people’s orthographic experiments. In any case, I’d say it’s impolite to deliberately spell another person’s name differently from the way you know perfectly well they wish it to be spelled.

It’s no more impolite than to insist that people cast aside conventions that work for them and adhere to yours, esp. in a business situation. Not impolite-horse’s posterior level self-indulgent! If she wants to use only lower case letters in her writing, more power to her. Why doesn’t she ask people to write to her in Cyrillic script? I know that would make *me *more comfortable. Where does one draw the line at accommodating a mad person? People that write in a business context, and do not properly use capitalization will be viewed askance, just to make ms. screwball happy. She may also be doing it as a power thing.
Compromise: Tell her that “Verbally, I will pronounce your name with lower case letters, but in writing, on the job, I’ll do what works on the job.”

hh

hh

[Acsenray]

I feel the same way about the yahoos who decided to spell something “TeX” and pronounce it “tek.” You can’t force me to use a pseudo-Greek letter when writing in English. So your choice is to have me spell it as “Tek,” “Tech,” or “Tex” and if the last, I’m pronouncing it like it’s spelled.

[Jaledin]

I believe it’s pronounced “khhh” – if I didn’t respect some people I’d cut their throats out. Tekkkkihhhhhh. Yeah, we get it, “Like a Scottish ch, as in ‘Loch’”" Faggots. And not the good kinds – the bad kinds only.

[DrDeth]

I then just ask my name to be written with each letter in a different color and with a asterix between each, ala Hyman Kaplan.

As has been said, even E.E. Cummings did not use his name in the lower case fashion, except as part of his poetry.

[barnburnermike]

…but I am also the world’s biggest fan of hyperbole.

That said, reading the OP, I’ve realized that I have what I’d describe as a bit of a quirky approach to email signatures.

If the addressee is a close acquaintance or friend, I sign with a simple, lowercase first letter of my last name:

Thanks,

m

I’ll sometimes even do the same with their name in the salutation, but will usually capitalize:

P -

How’s it going with the…

Talk soon -

m

If they are a very close business acquaintance, I’ll often close the same way but would only open with their full first name with proper capitalization.

Horace -

Thanks so much for…

Best,
m

If they are an acquaintance, or a good business associate, I’ll open with their full first name, and close with my name in all lowercase:

Samandra,

It was so good to see you at…

Best to the family,

mike

Next down the line of familiarity, I’d uppercase their first name, then use proper capitalization on my full name.

Finally, if I have any reason to refer to the person with a title of any kind, I’d close with my full name with proper capitalization and an additional line listing my professional title as I’m assuming this would only occur in a professional setting.

Throughout that entire, convoluted quagmire of a salutation and valediction protocol, the idea that I would expect, let alone demand, that anyone else follow suit is ludicrous.

[barnburnermike]

I’d also add, as someone who does fall into the “lowercaser” category, it is certaionly not intended to pump up my appearance in any way whatsoever - in fact, quite the opposite.

It actually feels LESS self-important, and that is really the intent: to “informalize” my own name and present a more familial tone. Email and text have become our primary mode of communication, but the written word is not suited to casual conversation. Meaning and tone are often lost in the forced formality of the medium. You wouldn’t question using slang or colloquial grammatical constructs in a quick email to a close friend. Yet more often than not the salutation and close are assumed. Why can we not be as casual with these? It is not coincidence that it is these specific two sections that are in debate. They are the only portions of an email that are required by convention only, and it is a convention that simply does not translate to a primary mode of communication. In a face to face conversation, you would never use a closeing signature. Could you imagine if every time you spoke to someone you finished the conversation by saying your own name?

(As an aside, my sister often tells the story of an old coworker who would literally “sign” all of her voicemails. So she’d leave a message on your phone saying “Thanks, just let me know what you find out. Susan.” And yes, her name was Susan. She was referring to herself in the third person as an audio signature)

Anyway, I think that by ignoring convention in these specific elements of a letter you force casualness on casual conversation occurring in an awkwardly formal mode of communication not suited for its current use.

m2c

[Doug_K]

Do you have a special approach for responding to email from nearly 5 years ago?

[barnburnermike]

@Doug_K

Do you have a special approach for responding to email from nearly 5 years ago?

Yes. Just jump in. Works when you’re standing on the end of a dock staring at a cold lake, too.