The italics issue is much more slippery. Again, we start with a
rule: foreign words are set in italics. Everyone (except Cell) agrees that
binomial names are set in italic, because by *definition* binomial names
are latin (the fossil rodent found in the Southwest American desert, called
Mus truthorconsequencesensis, is a good example of a non latin word
becoming a latin word by virtue of its presence in a binomial--and no, I am
not making this up--if you discovered a fossil mouse out by
Truthorconsequences, New Mexico, could you resit?). The trouble with
foreign words is that while they start out foreign they wind up as part of
English. So, there are a whole string of words or phrases, et cetera, et
alia, per se, in vitro, e.g., that always used to be set in italics but now
have become such a regular part of English that they are rarely italicized.
But there is obviously no hard and fast line, and every editor must decide
for themselves if "protege" or "denouement" or "de novo" etc. etc. has
made it into English. So, using as a common name the word "arabidopsis",
which clearly originally was a foreign word, there is no absolute way to
say that it still is foreign or instead has become English. Presumably, we
on the list consider "arabidopsis" as good an English word as, say
"pudding", and can suggest that there is no need for italics when
"arabidopsis" is used as the common name of our favorite weed. Perhaps some
editors will listen.
And yes, I have "taxes" to do, so this some innocent displacement
activity.
But I still hope it helps,
Tobias Baskin
_ ____ ^ __ ____ Tobias I. Baskin
/ \ / / \ / \ \ University ofMissouri
/ | / / \ \ \ BiologicalSciences
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