Compass directions and capitalization

Gravidy

Member
I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at the controversy around the capitalization of compass directions. At some point I learned that you capitalize a compass direction when it refers to a specific geographic region (making it a proper noun), but not when it refers to a direction. (I thought this difference might be cultural, as I have a Canadian education, which would be strongly biased towards the Queen's English, but I'm unable to find anything that backs that up.)

The best external reference I've found is this blog post, which states: "Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate direction or general location." See: https://www.proofreadnow.com/blog/bid/30440/North-East-South-or-West-Capitalize-or-Not

As a simple example, take this quote from the Silmarillion: "But as the host of Fingolfin marched into Mithrim the Sun rose flaming in the West" (chapter 13, Of the Return of the Noldor). In comparison, if someone were from New Orleans (the "American South"), they could honestly say: "I saw the sun rise in the South." They could not, however, say: "I saw the sun rise in the south."

Admittedly, this argument isn't perfect, as "the South," in America, is a fairly well defined geographical region. However, "the East," in Tolkien's writings is less geographical and more of a reference to "places where bad things are" (sorry for over trivializing). Still, I think JRRT is simply using capitalization to turn a direction into a proper noun, in which case, the direction is no longer applicable.
 
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