=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  EDline Vol. 7, no. 2     (14 January 2002)

  Editorial mailing list (digest version)
  Published by the Electric Editors
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

  Contents:

         Q & A
  [2qx]  That hyphen: online, on-line or on line?
            [Offshoot of [2qr] E-style/estyle]

  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


---[2]-- Q & A --------------------------------------------------


** [2qx] That hyphen: online, on-line or on line?
            [Offshoot of [2qr] E-style/estyle]

         Date: Tues, 11 Dec 2001
         From: Elizabeth Murphy, emmurphy@ozemail.com.au

Bess Flores wrote:

> A couple of years ago (as we say in OZ) when I began editing
> the U3A Isolated Bytes project online course materials, I
> raised this question with course writers. We decided on minimal
> caps for all and minimal hyphenation for all except the e-words
> themselves

Now there's another one -- is it online, on-line or on line? My
preference is online because I think the word has now evolved
from it's first stage of two words, through the hyphenated
version and is now an accepted whole word in its own right.


         -----------------------
         Date: Tues, 11 Dec 2001
         From: Victor Dewsbery, translation@dewsbery.de

My vote (as a Brit) goes to "on-line".

I regard the one word version (and your gradual word merger
theory) as largely American (and apparently Australian). Not that
I object to your national usage -- I would just point out that it
differs from my usage.

I also differ from your use of the apostrophe in "it's first
stage". I don't know whether that is a national difference or
just a slip of the typing finger in e-mails (which I am equally
capable of).


         -----------------------
         Date: Tues, 11 Dec 2001
         From: Susannah Driver-Barstow, sdrvr@ulster.net

Good question, Elizabeth!

Here in the US I am seeing "online" more often than the other
forms; it never quite seems right to me, though. It seems to me
that it would be correct to use either "on line" or "on-line,"
depending on the part of speech of the term, such as:

1) I am about to go on line and send some e-mail. (Yes, that's my
preference among email/E-mail/e-mail, etc., though informally I
often use email instead; quicker.)

2) On-line ordering programs are often a pain in the neck to use.

I suppose "online" is the merged form of both of the other forms,
and people use it both for speed and because they are not sure of
or aware of when and when not to hyphenate. Hyphenation that
varies from what the editing guidebooks say appears so very
often; most people seem to be pretty muddled about how to use it.

Any other ideas?


         -----------------------
         Date: Tues, 11 Dec 2001
         From: Susan Roberts, susan.l.roberts@saic.com

I prefer to use online, when referring to accessing the internet
and/or intranet. This is our standard company-wide. 


         -----------------------
         Date: Tues, 11 Dec 2001
         From: Michael Lewis, mlewis@brandle.com.au

For me, the hyphenation and spacing are determined by the
grammatical function. We use "on[-/ ]line" in three ways: as an
attributive adjective ("I'm trying to find an on-line resource
for..."), a predicative adjective ("Some of the resources I found
are on-line"), or an adverb ("I found it on-line").

I've used the compromise of the hyphenated form in all these
examples, but you could argue differently for each case.
Generally, it's true that hyphens tend to fade over time (usually
very slowly; sometimes quite quickly), but while the distinction
remains it's affected by whether you can think of what's being
hyphenated (or not!) as a multi-word [multiword?] phrase or a
compound. I would probably rewrite [re-write?] the predicative
example as "online".


  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  END OF EDline 7.2

  EDline homepage: < http://www.electriceditors.net/edline/ >

  ** The views expressed in this mailing list are strictly those
  of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect
  the views of the moderators or of the Electric Editors. **

  Articles (c) 2001, 2002, by individual contributors
  Design (c) 1996--2002 Iain Brown
  Compilation (c) 2002, Iain Brown / The Electric Editors
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=