User talk:Three in the morning

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Testing to see if the four tildes actually work: Three in the morning 19:15, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

TOR changes exit nodes periodically, and for some reason I am able to edit from some exit nodes but not others. It will probably change soon enough even if no one helps. But thanks to anyone who does help! Three in the morning 16:28, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
 * As I understand it, you aren't allowed to edit from Tor plain and simple. I know that sucks, but blame the vandals. --kingboyk 16:40, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for the prompt response. If that is the case, then I do not understand why I have mostly been able to edit since an account was created for me by Sarah of the unblock mailing list. When I tried to edit without an account, there were many words in the notifications encouraging me to get an account. I am very confused. Three in the morning 16:49, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

Changing debut to début
Both forms are valid, so the word as used by the original author should stay. Why are you feeling the need to change these? --kingboyk 16:42, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

My spell-checker thinks that début is right and debut is wrong. If my spell-checker is wrong, I would be happy to write a note to myself not to change that word in the future. What I am more confused about is what to do about American and British spelling differences. Since I do not know which is preferred, I have been trying to use whichever one it looks like the article is written in, but some articles use both. Then I just pick one, but I do not know if I am making the right choice. Three in the morning 16:49, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

I am confused about whether or not Wikipedia wants me to volunteer. I only use the internet through TOR, and Sarah kindly created an account for me so I could edit. However, I have also been told that there is some rule against editing through TOR. Am I breaking the rules by editing? Does Wikipedia want me? I do not wish to break any rules, but I only access the internet through TOR. Thanks to anyone who clarifies. Three in the morning 00:26, 10 March 2007 (UTC)
 * You can't edit through TOR without an account. With an account, it's fine, since some people can't edit freely any other way. -Amarkov moo! 00:46, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you! I am glad that I am not breaking the rule. Three in the morning 00:47, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Hello, I read what the "Manual of Style" says about different varieties of English. I still have some questions. First of all, I can generally tell the difference between British and American English, but I do not know how to tell if a different type of English is being used. Secondly, when there an article uses a mixture of American and British English, how should I pick which to spell-check based on? Or does that usually happen when it is a different kind of English, like Canadian? For the record, I have spell-checkers for British, American, Canadian and Australian English. Will someone help? Thanks! Three in the morning 19:51, 11 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Hi, Three in the morning!


 * "First of all, I can generally tell the difference between British and American English, but I do not know how to tell if a different type of English is being used."


 * This will probably be hard to determine, unless the article has a strong tie to a specific region or dialect. You might try posting a message to the article's talk page to find out what other editors think, or perhaps try to contact the original contributor.


 * "Secondly, when there an article uses a mixture of American and British English, how should I pick which to spell-check based on?"


 * Consistency is the most important. Stick with the dialect in which the article is predominantly written, or if that is impossible to determine, follow the dialect of the original contributor. Per WP:MOS: "Editors should not change the spelling used in an article wholesale from one variant to another, unless there is a compelling reason to do so (which will rarely be the case)."


 * I hope this helps. Feel free to reply here if you have any more questions. —Xhantar Talk 20:14, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

The dialect in which the article is predominantly written: so should I count the numbers of British spellings and American spellings? That could be time-consuming, but okay. Of course, it could appear mixed because it is in fact Canadian English. Should I always check on talk pages before spell-checking articles, unless the subject has a strong British, American, Canadian or Australian tie? Also, how do I find out what dialect the original contributor used? Thank you so much for your help! Three in the morning 20:24, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

After thinking about it, I would not need to check on the talk pages if there were no occurrences of American English, in which case I could safely assume it was British. So to rephrase, should I always check on talk pages when there is a mixture of British and American English, and the article is not about a British, American, or whatever topic, in case it is in fact Canadian English or something? Three in the morning 20:44, 11 March 2007 (UTC)


 * To reiterate: personally, I would leave it alone, unless there is a compelling reason to change it. Your spell checker suggesting "color" instead of "colour" is not a compelling reason, and such changes on a large scale will likely be reverted. Spell checkers vary, and not always based only on which language it is set to use. A lack of consistency, however, is a compelling reason.


 * If you can easily determine that an article is written predominantly using the American spelling of words, but you find two or three words using British spelling, go ahead and change them to American—but not the other way around. I understand your problem, but I wouldn't bother counting words. :) Certain spellings are common to more than one dialect, as you mentioned (Canadian / Australian), so counting words would likely not be of much help anyway. Also keep in mind that, for some words, there are multiple correct spellings. Again, I would suggest not changing the spelling based solely on the fact that your particular spell checker believes it to be in error. If it's that hard to determine (e.g., when one entire section of an article is written using American spelling, and another entire section using British spelling), propose the change on the article's talk page, stating a lack of consistency in spelling (per WP:MOS) as your reason, and try and reach consensus first, before performing the changes.


 * You needn't (and please don't) discuss every edit on an article's talk page, unless the change is likely to be controversial, as is often the case with large-scale corrections in spelling from one dialect to another.


 * The best way to find out which dialect the original contributor used, I believe, would be to ask. You can view the revision history of an article by clicking on the "history" tab at the top of the page. The original contributor will be the last entry listed, with an edit summary starting with: (Created page with...


 * Would you mind me asking which article you are referring to here? —Xhantar Talk 21:07, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

I am interested in correcting typos in Wikipedia, but this whole dialect problem is making it complex. Right now, I am trying to decide which dialect to use for "Lithuania". Assuming my spell-checker works properly, and I did not miss anything, I would have to change four words to make it British English, five words to make it American English, and three words to make it correct Canadian and Australian English. Thank you so much for helping me out! Three in the morning 21:18, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

I looked at the oldest revision of "Lithuania", which did not have an edit summary, but it was not dialect-specific, and I did not see any more contributions by BruceMiller. Three in the morning 21:32, 11 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I didn't check the entire article, but I found neighboring (American), metre (British), and kilometre (British). If it's that varied, it could easily go both ways (or 3 ways, if you include Canadian/Australian), and I think first discussing the change on the article's talk page would be the way to go. If no one responds, be bold and make the change. To which dialect, I honestly have no idea. Pick one. :) If anyone disagrees, they can just revert and let you know why. —Xhantar Talk 22:09, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you so much! I will ask on the "Lithuania" talk page. Three in the morning 22:15, 11 March 2007 (UTC)