While writing my last post I found myself asking is "Blu-ray" a noun or an adjective or what? To me it's sounds wrong to say "a Blu-ray", I always feel the need to add "disk" after it. On the other hand I usually feel the need to capitalise it which is probably wrong but I guess that actually makes it a noun adjunct. Unfortunately "Blu-ray Disk" is long and unwieldy especially compared to "DVD". I've seen it shortened to BD in some places but that doesn't roll of the tongue very well and I still feel the need to add "disk" after it despite the fact that's what the "D" stands for. Looking at a large copy of the logo after finding one for this entry I see that's trying to suggest BD, still sounds a bit naff though. This is the main reason I wanted HD-DVD to win the format war as it's a much more sensible name! Though even the double D in that is a bit of a mouthful. So what does that leave me to call my shiny new high definition disks? Answers on a postcard please. I might as well call them giraffes or something equally as stupid.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Blu-ray vs BD vs Giraffes
While writing my last post I found myself asking is "Blu-ray" a noun or an adjective or what? To me it's sounds wrong to say "a Blu-ray", I always feel the need to add "disk" after it. On the other hand I usually feel the need to capitalise it which is probably wrong but I guess that actually makes it a noun adjunct. Unfortunately "Blu-ray Disk" is long and unwieldy especially compared to "DVD". I've seen it shortened to BD in some places but that doesn't roll of the tongue very well and I still feel the need to add "disk" after it despite the fact that's what the "D" stands for. Looking at a large copy of the logo after finding one for this entry I see that's trying to suggest BD, still sounds a bit naff though. This is the main reason I wanted HD-DVD to win the format war as it's a much more sensible name! Though even the double D in that is a bit of a mouthful. So what does that leave me to call my shiny new high definition disks? Answers on a postcard please. I might as well call them giraffes or something equally as stupid.
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Very interesting point, and very nice for me, to find a post here that I can completely understand. I am very impressed by your instinctive feeling for good grammar, you must have been very well brought up. Heh heh.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right in saying that 'blu-ray' is a noun adjunct, which seems to be the latest name for what we used to call adjectival nouns. I think you're going to be stuck with using the whole phrase, though. You can't just call them disks, or blu-rays; BDs would work in the context of using DVDs as well, as in 'I prefer BDs to DVDs', but outside that context it's a bit obscure as yet. Maybe it will catch on. But even if it doesn't, 'blu-ray disk' is still only three syllables, like DVD, so it could be worse.
As for capitalisation, there is an easy rule to follow, there - is the word a registered trade mark? If it is, then it is capitalised (though the following word 'disk' need not be), but if it is the name of a generic technology, then no capital is needed.
On the other hand, calling them giraffes could be a lot more fun!