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Defending the Lower Case k

7/31/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
This summer has been our busiest by far, and as we see our name in print more and more, I can't help but notice all the different spellings
 
The DK'ers,
The DKer's,
The DKers,
The Dkers,
The Deekairs
 (Okay, I admit it I made this last one up)
 
You may wonder which spelling is correct. I would say right off the bat that the ones with apostrophes are the worst. It is not suppose to be some kind of contraction, and the s is to make it plural not to show possession. Let's get rid of the unnecessary apostrophes. That leaves us with two options, the DKers and the Dkers.
Now, Darren would say that clearly the DKers is correct.  It makes the pronunciation clear when you read it, our shirts and logo both have capital letters, and it just makes more sense.  I for one think that it would still  be pretty easy to say and understand the name even with a lower case k. However, even if we say that all of those reasons are true, I still like the spelling with the lower case k better.
 
First, by spelling it with a lower case k it looks more like one word.  I think this is a good thing because it affirms that we perform as a unit rather than as two individuals. There is a difference between songs sung by a duo and songs with the word "featuring" in the title.  I really thing this duo aspect is one of our real strengths in comparison to a lot of other juggling acts, almost all our tricks involve interaction, synchronization, or collaboration between the two of us.
 
Second, I really like that Darren is Capitalized, and I am lower case.  If I had to say the difference between our juggling styles/approaches in one sentence, " Darren is Capitalized, and I am lower case." is a pretty cool way to do that. I have already wrote a post on how Darren likes the idea of being "PROFESSIONAL" while I cheer for the amateur and hobbyist. Darren's big solo trick is balancing a SIX FOOT LADDER on his chin, and my solo trick involves juggling tennis balls of different sizes. The last new juggling prop Darren bought was a FOURTH TORCH, the last juggling prop I got was a shiny shirt (The shiny jacket trick is awesome). Darren's costume idea was BLACK BUTTON UP SHIRTS WITH WHITE PANTS AND MATCHING SHOES/BELTS, my idea was sewing felt on T-shirts. Darren practices number juggling and works on his SIX BALL pattern, while I play with three balls and search for new tricks. Darren built a GIANT JUGGLING SHED for practice, I built a cardboard podium for an advertisement. Darren deals with the SPEAKERS and MICROPHONES, I deal with the ipod. It is really easy to come up with examples like this, but I think that is enough.  Also just to be clear, I am not putting down the things I do, I am saying that I actually like the lower case smaller things better.
 
Finally, I just think the DKers looks corny.
 
I know Darren will be unfazed by my first reason, and he will probably be actively irritated by the final reason, but I think he will have to acknowledge the validity of reason number two.  I don't think he will officially change our name to the Dkers on facebook, but I can dream.
2 Comments
mark mcculley
8/7/2013 02:07:24 am

I also hate the unnecessary apostrophe, especially when it's misused in the possessive. Did you ever write any about why it's not the kDers?
That keeps your hobbyist status, but is it wrong to not capitalize the first letter of the title? There are some English teachers who seem to think their usage prescriptions entail "moral wrong". I myself am more into description, analysis.

Reply
mark mcculley
2/12/2021 08:33:15 am

Perhaps you have some familiarity with the Internet vs. internet debate. For those who are new to it, I should stress that the capitalization was not meant to signal transcendence,
singularity, or a whiff of the absolute. Quite the opposite: It
underscored that the Internet we used was just one particular
iteration of the larger category of internets, just as our nation’s
Constitution (which we capitalize, like all proper nouns) is just one
of many national constitutions (which, as a generic noun, remains
lowercased). The internet that we know and use today grew out of the Pentagon’s Arpanet network in the late 1960s, but throughout the '80s and '90s, it was just one of many instantiations of the Internet protocol suite used by educational and commercial networks. Eventually, Arpanet would come to
be known as Internet. Once it evolved into the World Wide Web, it was appended with the definite article—the Internet—though the capital “I” served as an implicit reminder that it was just one example of the technology, an Internet among internets.

It is common for technologies to shift from proper nouns to generic
ones as they become incorporated into the culture https://www.wired.com/story/hello-world-it-is-i-the-internet/

Reply



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    Kevin McCulley

    The K in the DKers
    E-mail - McCulleyKE1@gmail.com

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