This is another post where I explain my reasoning behind a decision: some have asked me why I spell it "inworld" — meaning, to be logged in and experiencing Second Life — instead of "in-world" and "in world".
It's really simple, and I'll use the great computer scientist, Don Knuth, as my role model: see "Email (let's drop the hyphen)", and apply a similar principle here.
Now:
- Words without hyphens are easier to spell and type.
- Perhaps a trivial point, but they're also one character shorter!
- Popular usage of a word often gets it dehyphenated. Think of how "co-operation" has become "cooperation". Or how "unhyphenated" (sans the "-", see?) itself is a live-by-the-rule example.
- It's easier and more accurate to search for "inworld" — try a comparative google of "inworld" vs. "in world" vs. "in-world" and judge for yourself which are the most relevant results. (Intriguing to note that searching for "inworld" will also show some matches for "in-world" with appropriate context.)
- And by extension, in our own best interests, what do we want to come up in searches when "inworld" is queried for?
Therefore, I say, the more web pages put "Second Life" + "inworld" together, the better.
I know even Lindens don't have a consistent standard, nor is the above a particularly thorny issue — but if I were to vote today, this is why.
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I don't really agree with dropping the hyphen in e-mail, because in Dutch the word 'email' means 'enamel'. So it's confusing already, let's not make it more confusing by changing the spelling
As a translator I am bound by the rules of spelling. But being a language professional, I also know that if enough people follow your example, eventually it will become official spelling.
'email' means 'enamel' in Dutch? That is so illuminating.
I was in a bar in Belgium recently (Flemish-speaking area) and stared for ages at a 1950's poster on the wall that had the word 'email' on it, and I wondered how did that word get there …..
Which reminds me, Benja, of a strange snackbar we have here in my Dutch home town. When I first saw the name, 'Mailing', I was puzzled – why would you call your snackbar that? Obviously I was thinking of a mailing, as in the sending out of lots of letters to (potential) customers.
But when I walked in the first time and saw the Chinese woman running it, it dawned on me. Her name is Mai Ling…
I always write "inworld" as well, Torley. It just makes more sense. After years of working for newspapers I found that the transition goes from capitalization to lowercase (Internet and Web to internet and web) and hyphenation to non-hyphenated nouns (e-mail to email) as the broader culture adopts the new words. With some nouns it seems to make sense to capitalize or hyphenate for a while until it becomes clear that they will become generalized common nouns, and with others it just seems needless. Inworld is one of those (and I'm pretty sure I got used to seeing it that way in myriad sci-fi novels over the years). Anyone who complains about that one needs to adopt a less-flexible formalized language; English just isn't built for that kind of rigor.
I always thought it was inworld and I prefer that term as well. For me this is a development of SL culture with its own words ands symbols! But I am not sure really what I am talking about LOL
Elvis
@Daedalus: That's a good point re: words in different languages. I remember the French gov. preferred "courriel" ( http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-1027357.html )
@Laetizia: Yeah, whether it's "right" or "wrong" to begin with, keep doing it and it becomes accepted convention.
@Benja: The only other possibility might be time travel!
@Laetizia again: This is precisely why I like unnatural hybrids of names like "McChang"… what are the odds of that being mixed-up? (Or "mixedup"? Haw haw!)
@Alexander: You pretty much said it. I wonder why "sci-fi" is still hyphenated, tho. English has so many irregularities, if it was a bowel movement… uh I won't go there.
@Elvis: I like the thought of "SL culture" very much. Something unique we've created here, that may be a mix of preexisting sources, but wouldn't exist without the richness of the Residents in our community.