Talk:Orange Free State

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Latest comment: 13 February 2011 by Amroth in topic Redirects

Eh?[edit source]

I'm browsing through the "Uncategorized pages list", to do some Gnoming. Categorize this into Category:Real-world, or delete? -- Ederchil 09:57, 9 April 2008 (EDT)

I'd vote for deletion. A "South Africa" article might be good - but not a general "Africa." --Narfil Palùrfalas 13:21, 9 April 2008 (EDT)

Article Name - Move to "Orange Free State"[edit source]

This article should be named "Orange Free State" as this is an English-language wiki and that is its English name (by the same token, for instance, if we had an article on China we'd have to call it "中國"). Giving it its Dutch name makes the article more or less pointless as no English speaker will ever search for "Oranje-Vrijstaat": this needs to be moved or else deleted because it serves no function here. --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 15:50, 7 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'm for keeping the name, I think we should use the official names. Just like we do with the societies, were we use the official names aswell. We use Sekcja Tolkienowska ŚKF for example, not Tolkien Section of the Silesian Fantasy Club. --Amroth 16:02, 7 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I assume, therefore, that you think Oxford should be moved to "City of Oxford" being the official name? And "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"? Or Category:Germany be changed to "Bundesrepublik Deutschland"? And every single person should have "Mr"/"Mrs"/"Miss"/"Ms"/"Her Majesty"/"Dr"/"Prof"/etc appended to the front of their names? I don't know anything about Sekcji Tolkienowskiej ŚKF, but everything should be given the name it is referred to in English because this is an English wiki (which is why Forodrim opens with "The Tolkien Society Forodrim" and not "Tolkiensällskapet Forodrim"). Frankly, it is farcical to suggest that we don't use the name most readers would expect. --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 16:12, 7 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Wikipedia is also an English wiki, still it's Zeeland and not Zealand (with is the correct English name). --Amroth 16:35, 7 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Firstly, this isn't Wikipedia (although, I note their Naming conventions (use English) policy). Secondly, "Zeeland" (as in "Zeelandic") and "Zealand" (as in "New Zealand") are both used in English; if you check the talk page that article you see the editors have debated the name of the article several times. Thirdly, it doesn't have to be the English name per se, just the name most commonly used in English. You didn't answer my suggestions on "official names"; I have another one for you, "Anno Domini 2011". --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 17:07, 7 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
By all conventions it should be Orange Free State. -- KingAragorn  talk  contribs  edits  email  23:37, 7 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
About the official names, "United Kingdom of Great-Britain and Northern-Ireland" and "City of Oxford" yes. About Germany, if it was an article "Bündesrepublik Deutschland, but as an category just Germany. Mr./Mrs. not. --Amroth 14:56, 8 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Isn't this creating unnecessarily long article titles? You point to Wikipedia, but their policy is the same as the policy I'm advocating. You say that the "official name" should be used but apparently not in categories or with people's names (in any case, "Orange Free State" is the English official name). If one more person says they think it should be moved to "Orange Free State", I think I will move it. --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 16:29, 8 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Here's that one person. -- Ederchil (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 18:37, 8 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I agree as well. (Reluctantly, as a Dutchman, but I see no reason why the article should remain under a Dutch name in an English wiki when there is, after all, a perfectly usual and usable English name. The Dutch name can still be mentioned in the article. Mith’s arguments do convince me, except for one about China: we should not have to call it “中國”, but “Zhongguo”.) — Mithrennaith 03:45, 12 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Redirects[edit source]

There are a lot of links to this article via the redirect "South Africa". Should South Africa be a separate article or not? --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 10:22, 12 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]

In what context do they refer to South Africa as? If it's just as Tolkien's birth place then we can redirect them all here. -- KingAragorn  talk  contribs  edits  email  18:29, 12 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Most links refer to South Africa as Tolkien's birthplace (technically incorrect), but a couple refer to South Africa proper, e.g. Christopher Tolkien's training in the RAF in South Africa, or Vera Chapman living there. --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 18:50, 12 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Probally it would be the best to have South-Africa as an own article/category.
I also think the redirect Africa should be deleted. I see no reason why it redirects to Orange Free Country. --Amroth 13:30, 13 February 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]