Talk:Falkland Islands/Archive 13
This is an archive of past discussions about Falkland Islands. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 10 | Archive 11 | Archive 12 | Archive 13 | Archive 14 | Archive 15 | → | Archive 20 |
Conflicting resumption of diplomacy dates
In the Aftermath section it gives 1992 as the date for the resumption of diplomatic relations between .uk and .ar, but in After the Falklands War, it's 1990. Should the latter have been "1990s"? Doubtful, since the latter has a citation (which is gone :(). AngusCA (talk) 04:11, 17 August 2011 (UTC)
- I've fixed the link. It says 1990, so I guess we should use that. --Langus (talk) 06:04, 17 August 2011 (UTC)
Spanish name - why?
Can anyone point me to the discussion that provided the consensus that it was appropriate to put the Spanish name in the lead please. FactController (talk) 18:29, 28 July 2011 (UTC)
- See [1], more in Archive 4. Wee Curry Monster talk 19:17, 28 July 2011 (UTC)
- Archives 1 and 2 also have a fair bit on it. Suffice to say, the topic's been fairly well covered. Pfainuk talk 19:29, 28 July 2011 (UTC)
- Thanks, a fair bit of material to read through then, all from four or five years ago. Can anyone briefly summarise why this English article has the name used by some Spanish-speaking countries too whereas say, the articles for the Pitcairn Islands or Turks and Caicos Islands don't? FactController (talk) 07:46, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
- Because a number of English-speaking sources, such as the CIA fact book, also have the Spanish name. Martinvl (talk) 10:48, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
- And the ISO designation includes the Spanish name. Wee Curry Monster talk 11:57, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
- I see no reason to include the spanish name. We don't generally translate terms on wikipedia. I suggest removing it.Polyamorph (talk) 11:17, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- Actually, in leads, we do, but either way, the Spanish name is commonly used for the islands. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 11:25, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- Do we? Where is the policy for that. Why Spanish and not French, or German or Welsh? Polyamorph (talk) 11:37, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- Actually, in leads, we do, but either way, the Spanish name is commonly used for the islands. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 11:25, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- I see no reason to include the spanish name. We don't generally translate terms on wikipedia. I suggest removing it.Polyamorph (talk) 11:17, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- And the ISO designation includes the Spanish name. Wee Curry Monster talk 11:57, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
- Because a number of English-speaking sources, such as the CIA fact book, also have the Spanish name. Martinvl (talk) 10:48, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
- Thanks, a fair bit of material to read through then, all from four or five years ago. Can anyone briefly summarise why this English article has the name used by some Spanish-speaking countries too whereas say, the articles for the Pitcairn Islands or Turks and Caicos Islands don't? FactController (talk) 07:46, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
- Archives 1 and 2 also have a fair bit on it. Suffice to say, the topic's been fairly well covered. Pfainuk talk 19:29, 28 July 2011 (UTC)
[2] Link to naming convention. Wee Curry Monster talk 11:45, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- Ok thanks for the link! Polyamorph (talk) 11:47, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
Lede sentence, Spanish name for the islands?
I'm placing this above the (very interesting!) kerfluffle below because it's a minor unrelated point and I don't want jump into anything, but the current lede says:
- "The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) are an archipelago..."
But the Spanish phrase given is not a translation but an alternate name. Shouldn't it be something like:
- "The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Las Islas Falkland), also called the Malvina Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), are an archipelago..."
(Or actually I'm not sure you even need the translations, giving perhaps '"The Falkland Islands, also called the Islas Malvinas, are an archipelago...".) Herostratus (talk) 02:06, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- It's traditional to include the translation of the terms. I like your first proposal ("The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Las Islas Falkland), also called the Malvinas Islands..."). I'm not sure if the Spanish term "Islas Falkland" is an actual translation ("Falkland" doesn't mean anything in Spanish); and if not then that may be an issue to consider. However, based on the discussion below, the term "Malvinas Islands" does have usage in English. As a side note, the discussion below is over, as far as I'm concerned, so perhaps it would be best if you moved this section below it. Best regards.--MarshalN20 | Talk 02:25, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- The Spanish name for the islands is usually Las Islas Malvinas, though Las Islas Falkland is also used, particularly in places like Southern Chile. The mayor of Puerto Williams has received unwelcome attention recently for using the name in common local use as it is against "official" Chilean policy. It was commonly used in Argentina till the 1930s. I would suggest you need to include Las Islas Falkland as an alternative Spanish name. Though I wouldn't follow the text you suggest. Wee Curry Monster talk 08:47, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- The Spanish language translation of "Falkland Islands" is not "Las Islas Malvinas". This would be true if and only if the proper translation of the word "Falkland" generally was "Mavlinas", so that, for instance, Falkland Palace would be properly rendered as Palacio de Malvinas and so forth. You see what I'm saying? It's a subtle distinction. (And anyway, "Falkland" is a proper name, and proper names are usually not translated (there are some exceptions, but even if this was one, the translation of "Falkland" would not be "Malvinas" but something like "La Tierra del Halcón" (assuming falk=falcon which is possibly true)).
- What is true (I guess) is that nearly all English speakers and publications call it the "Falkland Islands" and nearly all Spanish speakers and publications call it "Las Islas Malvinas". That's an entirely different thing. (And even then, I'm sure that there are some English speakers and publications -- people who feel the Argentine claim has precedence and so forth -- who call the islands the "Malvina Islands" (or maybe it's "Malvinas Islands" in English, not sure), and conversely surely some Spanish speakers and publications use "Las Islas Falkland", for whatever reasons -- tradition (as pointed out above) or to show political opposition to the Argentine claim, or whatever.
- So I understand it's a political hobbyhorse, but the point I'm making is not a political point (I couldn't care less about the islands) but a pedantic linguistic point. It's just wrong to say that English-language word "falkland" is translated as the Spanish word "malvinas". Minor, but let's get it right. I'll give it a go. It seems sensible to include the Spanish term first when referring to the Malivinas. It also seems sensible to say "or" rather than "also called", as the "also called" gives a subtle inference that the first term is preferable and we don't want to say that, so how about:
- "The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Las Islas Falkland) or Islas Malvinas (English: Malvina Islands), are an archipelago..."
- Is this sufficiently neutral to please everyone, I hope, while also being linguistically accurate? (Oops, hmm. I see here are bunch of dire warnings that I will be blocked if I make this change and so forth. What's the deal with that? This is not good. I don't want to step on anyone's toes but I think we ought to get it right.) Herostratus (talk) 18:17, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- I've never heard or seen "Malvina Islands" used anywhere, although I suppose it may be. I don't think it's wrong the way it is, but if not something like "The Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as Las Islas Malvinas, etc." Islas Falkland can be included too if still relevant. A little bit on this in the name section would be helpful. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 18:28, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- Malvinas Islands has fringe use, as such per WP:FRINGE we should not give it WP:UNDUE coverage. Islas Falkland is actually in reasonably common use in Chile (it was also in Argentina till the late 1930s). The dire warnings stem from early disputes where you had various fringe groups bringing conflict here. Toponymy is a sensitive area; my suggestion is that the only thing currently missing is the Spanish use of Las Islas Falkland. Wee Curry Monster talk 18:37, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- http://www.librarything.com/work/2587201 http://www.wordmagicsoft.com/dictionary/es-en/islas%20falkland.php http://www.laprensaaustral.cl/cronica/molestia-argentina-provocan-los-dichos-de-alcalde-de-cabo-de-hor-5246 http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Islas+Falkland&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a#q=%22Islas+Falkland%22&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=0U2&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivnsm&ei=YTl2ToE-hdGEB7qevLQO&sqi=2&start=10&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=d16b25ea8fe9988c&biw=1440&bih=708 http://www.guiarte.com/destinos/america-del-sur/islas-falkland.html So Islas Malvinas does not appear to be the Spanish translation of the Falkland Islands, but the Argentine name for them.Slatersteven (talk) 18:37, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- [3] The article linked on the left is an example of the pain you're going to bring if you attempt to suggest its just an Argentine name. Islas Malvinas is the common Spanish name but Islas Falkland has sufficient use to be considered. Wee Curry Monster talk 18:40, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- South American then,Slatersteven (talk) 18:45, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- [3] The article linked on the left is an example of the pain you're going to bring if you attempt to suggest its just an Argentine name. Islas Malvinas is the common Spanish name but Islas Falkland has sufficient use to be considered. Wee Curry Monster talk 18:40, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- http://www.librarything.com/work/2587201 http://www.wordmagicsoft.com/dictionary/es-en/islas%20falkland.php http://www.laprensaaustral.cl/cronica/molestia-argentina-provocan-los-dichos-de-alcalde-de-cabo-de-hor-5246 http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Islas+Falkland&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a#q=%22Islas+Falkland%22&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=0U2&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivnsm&ei=YTl2ToE-hdGEB7qevLQO&sqi=2&start=10&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=d16b25ea8fe9988c&biw=1440&bih=708 http://www.guiarte.com/destinos/america-del-sur/islas-falkland.html So Islas Malvinas does not appear to be the Spanish translation of the Falkland Islands, but the Argentine name for them.Slatersteven (talk) 18:37, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- So I understand it's a political hobbyhorse, but the point I'm making is not a political point (I couldn't care less about the islands) but a pedantic linguistic point. It's just wrong to say that English-language word "falkland" is translated as the Spanish word "malvinas". Minor, but let's get it right. I'll give it a go. It seems sensible to include the Spanish term first when referring to the Malivinas. It also seems sensible to say "or" rather than "also called", as the "also called" gives a subtle inference that the first term is preferable and we don't want to say that, so how about:
@Herostratus, I agree with your proposal. However, only one minor error exists in it: "Malvinas" needs the "s". Apparently "Malvina" (without the "s") does exist, but its mention is far less common (320 GoogleBooks hits), than the mention of "Malvinas" (with the "s", holding 10,300 hits). @Chipmunk, I agree that this should be mentioned in the etymology section.--MarshalN20 | Talk 18:41, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- We have already been through this in the past. Malvinas Islands has nothing but fringe use in the English language. As such it should not be included in the article lede. I strongly oppose the introduction of fringe terms. Wee Curry Monster talk 18:50, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- I would agree with your position if more than two names existed for the islands, but given that they are simply 2 and both are used, no good reason exists as to why they should not be mentioned in the opening sentence. Using both English names further allows the mention of both Spanish terms, "Islas Falkland" and "Islas Malvinas". I honestly don't see what could be the problem.--MarshalN20 | Talk 18:58, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- It does seem a fairly rare name. I've heard people say Malvinas or even Islas Malvinas in English, but never Malvinas Islands. I have seen Islas Falklands though. I don't think Malvinas Islands has enough weight to go into the lead either, this isn't about equating Spanish and English at every opportunity. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 19:04, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- I would agree with your position if more than two names existed for the islands, but given that they are simply 2 and both are used, no good reason exists as to why they should not be mentioned in the opening sentence. Using both English names further allows the mention of both Spanish terms, "Islas Falkland" and "Islas Malvinas". I honestly don't see what could be the problem.--MarshalN20 | Talk 18:58, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- Reminding everyone that this is a dispute that was one step away from Arbcom a few years ago, I strongly oppose the proposal. It gives far too much weight to the WP:FRINGE term Malvina(s) Islands, which is essentially never used in English.
- Islas Malvinas or Malvinas is the standard name used in Spanish for the islands. The status quo most accurately reflects the way the languages are used in practice, and significantly allows for both POVs on naming to be stated without giving undue weight to fringe terms. Pfainuk talk 19:05, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- I agree 100%. Wee Curry Monster talk 19:19, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- I don't see how a term that has been in steady use within the English language since the 1830s qualifies as a "Fringe" term. "Malvinas Islands" reflects a name of both historical and modern importance. Herostratus' proposal is an improvement, and at no points does it discredit the name "Falkland Islands" (which is the article's title).
- I also don't agree with the "Undue Weight" claim, as mentioning "Malvinas Islands" once in the lead and, maybe, again in the etymology is not taking much space from "Falkland Islands".--MarshalN20 | Talk 19:43, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- This claim that Malvinas "has been in steady use within the English language since the 1830s" is only accurate inasmuch as it wasn't significantly used then and isn't significantly used now. In modern English, referring to the islands as the "Malvinas" alone makes a political point. You propose essentially that we make that political point, a clear and direct violation of WP:NPOV.
- You dismiss the point about its being undue weight, but do not explain why. This is unhelpful. I would suggest that it is reasonably obvious that treating a tiny minority usage as though it as common as the primary usage is plainly giving the tiny minority usage undue weight. Pfainuk talk 20:33, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- I don't agree that WP:FRINGE applies to this case as it is not promoting an ideology or theory. The name is also used as a reference to the conflict in the English language as "Malvinas War". While the term "Falklands Island" is obviously the most used name (hence the article title), no reason exists as to why the name "Malvinas Islands" should be hidden from the article.
- I certainly did explain why I think WP:UNDUE would not be broken in this case. For one, the article's title is not being changed, and, secondly, the usage of "Malvinas Islands" would only be necessary in the opening sentence and in the etymology section. In no way does that created undue weight on its favor. In fact, the etymology section is where the matter can be better explained for the readers.--MarshalN20 | Talk 21:08, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- The fact that you don't propose to change the article title does not mean that it is not undue weight. Changing the article title would be worse undue weight. Your point that "the usage of "Malvinas Islands" would only be necessary in the opening sentence and in the etymology section" also does not mean it is not undue weight. You make no point here that states or suggests that what you propose is not severe undue weight to what is a tiny majority usage.
- We are not allowed, per WP:UNDUE, to pretend that a tiny minority usage is anything like as prevalent as the overwhelming majority usage in English. You are proposing that we do exactly that. Due weight for "Malvinas" is what we give it in the status quo: recognition of Spanish usage, given the Argentine claim, and appropriate mention in the Name section. It does not mean misleading our readers by suggesting that "Malvinas Islands" in English is far more prevalent than it is in actual English-language usage.
- And I note that in proposing this, because the use of Malvinas as an English-language name for the islands makes a political point, your wording makes that political point, signalling our support for Argentina's POV in the sovereignty dispute in the first sentence of this article. This is a clear and direct violation of WP:NPOV. Pfainuk talk 21:31, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- "Malvinas" is used in English lexicon, therefore it is a name adopted by the English-language since at least the 1830s.
- Including the term "Malvinas Islands" in the opening sentence is in no way meant to "mislead our readers". Hiding the term and pretending it doesn't exist is indeed a form of misleading the readers.
- Including the term "Malvinas Islands" a couple of times within the article does not justify your claim of it being "severe undue weight".
- This doesn't have anything to do with politics. In fact, Herostratus proposal mentions nothing about politics, and considering he's not from either side there is no reason as to why his proposal should be accused of making a "political point".--MarshalN20 | Talk 22:45, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
- Noone is objecting to placing it in the name section. However, nothing you have said has given any indication that Malvinas Islands has any sort of widespread realworld usage. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 04:03, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- People, we're losing track of the point raised by Herostratus, which was that "Islas Malvinas" is not a translation for "Falkland Islands", but an alternate name. I think we all agree on that. Whether the article needs the translations or not, and if it needs the English and Spanish translations or only one of them, is another matter. Regards. --Langus (talk) 06:56, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- It isn't significantly an alternate name in English. As I say, you would only ever use Malvinas as though it were an English word if you were actively trying to make a political point by it (so, it tends to be used by fringe political groups). The mere fact of treating Malvinas as a standard English-language name for the islands implies a strong POV.
- Neutral English-language commentators will use "Falkland Islands" (or "Falklands") - except that they tend to mention "Malvinas" once in passing when discussing the dispute (this is also consensus practice on Wikipedia: see WP:NCGN#Falkland Islands).
- There is no particular reason why the translation of a name has to be etymologically related to the name itself. The classic example would be the Names of Germany but there are plenty of others. Islas Malvinas in Spanish covers much of the same semantic ground as Falkland Islands in English, and as such they can reasonably be described as translations of one another. They don't cover identical ground, sure - this is hardly unusual in translation - but they are each the neutral term in use in their respective languages. I would also note that the translation is cited in the article. Pfainuk talk 17:54, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
Common Spanish name
In any case I think the proper Spanish name is Islas Malvinas without the article (Las) just like the most common ways of refering to Argentina and Peru are just Argentina and Perú and not la Argentina and el Perú. Can we agree on this? Adding unnecessary articles seeems to be a very typical South American thing even so that known people are refered by their names with and article before (eg. la Daniela). Chiton magnificus (talk) 11:11, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- I don't think we put a las in there at present, do we? I count this as equivalent to the "the" that one would put in front of "Falkland Islands" in English. Pfainuk talk 17:54, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
Calling it Malvinas alone is being Discrimitive
The article about the falkland islands calls, or refers to it as Malvinas (the argentinian name for the falkland islands).I live in the falkland islands and the falklanders find this name discriminitive and disguisting. This is not the atual name for the country and i believe you should consider changing this or you will be recieving messages from alot of people concerning this. Their problem with this is that you are saying that Argentina own the Falklands which isn't true it belongs to the British! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Oli- -The right man (talk • contribs) 19:27, 9 September 2011 (UTC)
- I appreciate the feelings of the anonymous editor who removed some references to “Malvinas” from the article. However in making the changes he:
- Wrecked the redirection mechanism. Is he aware that there is a small group of islands in the Mediterranean called “Islas Malvinas”? Is he aware that had his changes stood, he would have deprived anybody trying to find a reference to those rocks from getting there. He also wrecked the “Falkland” redirection link. Is he aware that there are three places in Canada called “Falkland”, one in Scotland and one in England? Again, by his clumsy removal of the word “Malvinas”, he deprived anybody trying to locate those places from getting to those pages.
- The title of the relevant article in the CIA factbook is “Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)”. This was replicated exactly. Wikipedia does not censor article titles – in fact it is desirable that they be replicated ‘’exactly’’ as they are found.
- If the editor wishes to be more closely associated with Wikipedia, please first understand the norms under which Wikipedia operates before trampling in. Martinvl (talk) 20:03, 9 September 2011 (UTC)
- There is or was a comment that the islanders found the Argentine toponymy offensive, the label merely notes there is an alternative Spanish name. It makes no comment on Argentina's claim. Wee Curry Monster talk 20:15, 9 September 2011 (UTC)
The Malvinas redirect
Collapsed for practical purposes. --MarshalN20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Talk 16:25, 24 September 2011 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wee Curry Monster said "we now have a situation where the most common search is unrelated to this article".[citation needed] Solid proof of that statement would be of great help, if there is. Chiton magnificus (talk) 10:19, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
The number of web page hits is only of interest with modern or popular-culture topics, such as recent movies. When we talk about topics that made it to the scholar books, that's what we should consider, and I really doubt we will find any results for Malvinas at Google books (not general Google) that is not about the islands. Wikipedia:Article titles#Common names advises to work with Google Books rather than mere Google whenever possible, and Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Is there a primary topic? that educational value takes priority over recentism, specially when dealing with Vital Articles (and this one is listed at Wikipedia:Vital articles/Expanded) Cambalachero (talk) 13:29, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
It is interesting that other entries on the dab page get more hits than Malvinas. But if I was searching for Malvinas Argentinas Partido or the town of Malvinas Argentinas in Córdoba Province, I would be inclined to look for Malvinas Argentinas, not for Malvinas. The raw number of people going to each place is useful but we have to be careful with it. By way of example, Thom Yorke gets about 50% more hits every day than York city. Both are linked from York (disambiguation). But it's not really credible that the primary topic for "York" should be the Radiohead singer because you'd be unlikely to type in "York" when looking for him. We have it the right way round there, even though a user typing "York" looking for Thom Yorke has to go through the dab page to get there. Thus my feeling is that, while the statistics are relevant, they do not persuade me that the redirect here isn't appropriate. Pfainuk talk 17:09, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
For info, I've just gone through statistics for the whole year 1 September 2010 through 31 August 2011. During that period Malvinas got 6364 hits, Malvinas (disambiguation) 4788. The largest monthly gap was June 2011 (881 vs. 473); the smallest was October 2010 (490 vs. 481). I am deliberately excluding September 2011 to avoid the figures being biased by this discussion. Full data collapsed here:
But I'm not convinced that those raw numbers tell the whole story. On seven out of the 31 days in August 2011 (6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 24 and 26 August), Malvinas (disambiguation) actually got more hits than Malvinas did. Of those, 8 August saw the largest difference: 24 vs. 17. Taking October 2010 (the month with the smallest difference), I find twelve such days - the largest difference being 22 Ocotber which saw 27 visits to Malvinas (disambiguation) but only 18 to Malvinas. Given this it seems to me that the assumption that all traffic to Malvinas (disambiguation) comes from people searching for "Malvinas", while apparently logical, does not seem necessarily to hold. The data is clearly relevant, of course, but I'm not sure it's quite as conclusive as the headline figure might suggest. I am not hugely bothered by this. If it ends up going to the dab page, it ends up going to the dab page. But my preference is for the status quo. Pfainuk talk 20:04, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
Oppose As pointed, this article is the primary topic of the word "Malvinas". See the search in google books. I have checked up to the 10º page of results, and they are all about the islands, none of them is about some other place named Malvinas. Article view stadistics are not a stable measure. Besides, reliable sources take priority over wikipedia itself, and even if that wasn't the case, article view stadistics would still have the flaw of reporting the usage within a single source, the Wikipedia project, dismissing real world usage. By the way, the search also points that, contrary to the original claims of this thread, the "Faklands (Malvinas)" or "Faklands / Malvinas" expressions are not discriminative, but a widespread usage. Perhaps not the majority one, but one spread enough, that was not made up here for NPOV concerns. Cambalachero (talk) 20:50, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
It would be nice for everyone to present their stance directly. Wee Curry Monster is not a neutral editor and has an obvious preference in favor of the redirect, but keeps trying to pretend otherwise. To his question: "May I also ask you both a blunt question, whether you would be prepared to go to the es.wikipedia and argue for equal treatment of the English toponymy - something currently lacking?"
My stance: I am in favor of keeping the status quo.--MarshalN20 | Talk 02:36, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
I will expect an apology for that remark forthwith, the comment has nothing whatsoever to do with "revenge" but the fact that both of you have come here alleging this proposal stems from bias - yet you're not prepared to use your language skills to redress bias in other areas of the wiki project. As to my neutrality, I've been accused on being pro-Argentine by the Brits and pro-Brit by the Argentines. My stance was actually nearly ambivalent but I am now firmly in Apcbg's camp. As to the opposes, one comes with no argument, the other other ignores policy. Consensus is about strength of argument not bloc voting to prevent change. Bad tempered bad faith accusations against other editors will not convince. Wee Curry Monster talk 14:09, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
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Proposal (withdrawn)
Withdrawn, collapsed for practical purposes. --Τασουλα (Almira) (talk) 18:38, 19 September 2011 (UTC) |
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The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it. |
Oppose, as stated before. "Hits" are meaningless: Wikipedia is a single source, and even a source that can not be used by wikipedia itself. On the contrary, a search in Google Books, linked above (which searches in several sources, and can not be accused of having an umbalanced selection of books for either perspective in the sovereignty dispute) shows that "Malvinas" is universally used in refence to this article, not to any other. So far, WCM has avoided to adress the issue of what would be actually wrong with the Google Book search, or refute the critics I formulated against the page view stadistics as an indication of worldwide usage Cambalachero (talk) 14:39, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
Oppose.
Point 1 has been repeated several times, and is by far the strongest point out of everything in this discussion.--MarshalN20 | Talk 15:45, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
Support Simply put there is more then one place called Malvinas, so it seems to be you take them to a disambig page.Slatersteven (talk) 16:15, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
Support The hit numbers seem to show that other uses are more prevalent by those searching on en.wikipedia.org. Our basis for primary topic is what users are likely to want when they type the phrase into the search box, not on google hits. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 16:24, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
Weak Oppose, essentially because I haven't been persuaded by the arguments in favour. This is the only article on Wikipedia that actually refers to something called Malvinas. All other usages with articles are named using Islas Malvinas (two stadia and an airport), Malvinas Argentinas (two localities, a stadium and an airport) or is March of the Malvinas (the name of a song). The statistics show that other uses are more prevalent, but do not demonstrate that people search for them by looking for Malvinas, as opposed to (for example) Malvinas Argentinas or Islas Malvinas Stadium. I think it is legitimate to suggest that most readers wanting those articles would use more appropriate search terms. I'd add that IMO, the conclusion drawn that most people who go to Malvinas click through to Malvinas (disambiguation) is not necessarily implied by the figures that we have seen - because this is based on the assumption (that I do not believe is valid) that all hits at Malvinas (disambiguation) come from editors who were redirected through Malvinas. I'd finally add that I also don't really buy the Google Books argument. We should be basing this on user convenience. But I am not persuaded that user convenience means pointing this at a dab page. I'm not saying no, nay, never, but I am unconvinced. Pfainuk talk 17:32, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
Support — Per Wikipedia:Disambiguation. Apcbg (talk) 18:20, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
[8] Based on improved information I'm going to withdraw my proposal. Wee Curry Monster talk 20:52, 17 September 2011 (UTC)
[9]. This pretty much completely ends the discussion. No need for statistics. The naming convention for this article had already been established, and the term "Malvinas" properly identified. Best regards.--MarshalN20 | Talk 06:10, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
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Islas Malvinas
I am a native Spanish speaker, and without prejudice to which side one takes on the controversy, "Islas Malvinas" is how the Falkland Islands are referred to in Spainish. Even Latin American and other Spanish language sources which are pro-UK position say this. ES-Wiki says this. It is uncontroversial for most Spanish speakers, like saying "America" in English to refer to the USA.
What I am trying to raise here is an issue of translation: there are many other places in the world whose place name in Spanish is not a direct translation of the English name, even where there is no political controversy. For example, "Germany" is called "Alemania" in Spanish, which are different names with different origins for the same country.
"Malvinas Islands", however, is indeed a politically controversial, and that is that. Don't pull me into this war please, I am just trying to say, "Islas Falklands" is not commonly used.--Cerejota (talk) 05:52, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- Actually Islas Falkland is commonly used in Chile for example. Argentina has taken the trouble in Mercosur and Unasur to lobby for Islas Malvinas to be adopted and enforced as an official name; hence the furore in Puerto Williams recently. Islas Falkland was even in common use in Argentina till the late 1930s; including use in the officially sanctioned geography texts. "Malvinas Islands" is not used in English at all, except by fringe groups who adopt it for an anti-British position. As fringe usage, we're guided by WP:FRINGE and WP:DUE, the concensus has always been not to include it. Wee Curry Monster talk 11:51, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- To add, I've just been introduced to a Google Search term that enables Google Books to be investigated to measure the prevalence of certain terms.
- [10] Looks at Falkland Islands, Malvinas Island and Malvina Island over the period 1800 - 2008. This clearly shows Falkland Islands to be the overwhleming term used in the English language. Malvina(s) Island has virtually no use. Narrowing the period to the last 30 years shows no difference [11]. Restricing to British English [12] negligible. American English [13] negligible. Conclusion Falkland Islands is the correct English term to use. Malvina(s) Island has negligible fringe use, hence, according to the guidelines of WP:FRINGE and WP:UNDUE it should not be included.
- Turning now to the Spanish language. [14] shows the use of Islas Malvinas and Islas Falkland over the period 1800-2008. Islas Malvinas is the predominant Spanish term but Islas Falkland is a significant minority term. [15] narrowing to the last 30 years it remains a significant minority term, there are significant step changes such as in 1995 when several South American nations agreed to adopt Islas Malvinas following Argentine pressure. Conclusion Islas Malvinas is the predominant term used in Spanish. However, there is a significant minority use of Islas Falkland and as such we may consider including it on the basis of editorial judgement. I am aware from personal experience that it is used regularly in Southern Chile.
- Recommendations is we keep Falkland Islands and Islas Malvinas as per current lede. We should not be considering the addition of Malvina(s) Island as its use is negligible. We should consider the addition of Islas Falkland as a minority use in the Spanish language. Wee Curry Monster talk 19:57, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- Considering that there is more than one island in question, surely your search of "Malvinas Island" is flawed. Indeed, it is flawed, as demonstrated by my search of all three terms with "Islands" at the end (uppercase and "s") [16], and "islands" at the end (lowercase and "s") [17]. Neat little device. It demonstrates that (A) the terms "Malvina Islands" and "Malvinas Islands" together hold a strong usage in the English language, (B) "Falklands Island" is the dominant term (supporting the article title), but that "Malvinas Islands" holds relevance and should be included in the opening sentence and the etymology section.--MarshalN20 | Talk 23:37, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- WCM, I suggest you redo the search on the same google server using Malvina Islands, although frankly I highly doubt there'll be much difference at all. In fact, use "Malvina* Island*" to cover all options. Anyway, the lead should not contain any names which are extremely fringe and barely ever used. I agree with WCM, we definitely include Islas Malvinas, we definitely include Falkland Islands, we definitely don't include Malvina Islands, and Islas Falklands is up to editorial judgement. Of course, feel free to add any of them to the Name section. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 06:11, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- [18] Repeat of the same search using Islands rather than the singular. This demonstrates a brief use of the term following the Falklands War, dying away until 2008 when it is no longer used to any significant extent. This reflects its use by fringe groups with an anti-British agenda immediately following the Falklands War. It has no usage whatsoever before that time [19]. Comparing relative usage of the terms Falkland Islands and Malvina(s) Islands, Malvina(s) is only used in a tiny fraction of cases reflecting its fringe use (You have to look at the scale on the left). Further, if you look outside of fringe material the use in mainstream English tends to reflect a translation of the Spanish Islas Malvinas as "Malvinas Island", rather than actual reference to an English name. Including Islas Malvinas and Malvinas Islands would be giving undue prominence to the term by referring to it twice. If you compare relative usage of Islas Malvinas and Islas Falkland [20], Islas Falkland has always had a minority usage but still significant relative to Islas Malvinas. My conclusions would essentially be the same. Falkland Islands is the English term, Islas Malvinas is the predominant Spanish term. Malvina(s) Island(s) is only used by fringe groups or as a translation of Islas Malvinas. Islas Falkland has a minority usage in Spanish and whether to include it is a matter for editorial judgement. Having looked at its usage on Google, there is a significant use of Islas Falkland as a translation of the English name but its also in common use in places like Southern Chile. There is a link above to the Puerto Williams story where the Mayor has been censored for using the term Islas Falkland in a radio interview. [21] includes an analysis of Argentine school texts by Carlos Escude, out of 31 text books, 7 referred to the Falklands up to 1941. After 1941 it was expunged from official texts. 22% of Argentine text books referred to Islas Falkland up till 1941, demonstrating a persistent minoriy usage in Spanish. The fact that Mercosur and Unasur have had to officially adopt the name Islas Malvinas and ban the use of Islas Falklands shows there is a significant usage and it is not a fringe term. I'll leave whether Islas Falkland is added to editorial judgement but its clear Malvinas Islands is not an English term and should not be given prominence in the lede. Wee Curry Monster talk 08:02, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- WCM, I suggest you redo the search on the same google server using Malvina Islands, although frankly I highly doubt there'll be much difference at all. In fact, use "Malvina* Island*" to cover all options. Anyway, the lead should not contain any names which are extremely fringe and barely ever used. I agree with WCM, we definitely include Islas Malvinas, we definitely include Falkland Islands, we definitely don't include Malvina Islands, and Islas Falklands is up to editorial judgement. Of course, feel free to add any of them to the Name section. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 06:11, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Considering that there is more than one island in question, surely your search of "Malvinas Island" is flawed. Indeed, it is flawed, as demonstrated by my search of all three terms with "Islands" at the end (uppercase and "s") [16], and "islands" at the end (lowercase and "s") [17]. Neat little device. It demonstrates that (A) the terms "Malvina Islands" and "Malvinas Islands" together hold a strong usage in the English language, (B) "Falklands Island" is the dominant term (supporting the article title), but that "Malvinas Islands" holds relevance and should be included in the opening sentence and the etymology section.--MarshalN20 | Talk 23:37, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
I would love to see a reliable source which explicitly states that "Malvinas Islands" is used by "fringe groups with an anti-British agenda". So far is has only been WCM making this claim without providing anything reliable to actually back it up. "Malvinas Islands" is indeed an English term; it's incredible how easy it is to pretend that it is not. Nobody is claiming that the term "Malvinas Islands" holds more usage than "Falkland Islands," but it has enough relevance to be included at least twice in the article (once in lead, second in etymology).--MarshalN20 | Talk 13:25, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Can you give examples of organisation/people/countries that use that term in English? Chipmunkdavis (talk) 13:31, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- We have been through the ringer on this before, see Archive 3 and Archive 4. You'll find its the Socialist Workers Party and other fringe groups that use Malvinas Islands but this is not mainstream English usage. The onus is on the proposer to demonstrate its English etymology with reliable sources, rather than fringe use and a literal translation of Islas Malvinas as previous discussions have found. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Wee Curry Monster talk 13:40, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Yearbook of the United Nations, 1985 (Pp. 1132-1136). Does the United Nations hold an "anti-British agenda"?
- Wayne Smith, Toward resolution?, 1991, (Various Pages): "At this time, the United Kingdom included forty-three territories on its list, among them the Malvinas Islands [...]". Does Wayne Smith hold an "anti-British agenda"?
- Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Barbara Kwiatkowska, Harm Dotinga, International Organizations and the Law of the Sea, 2001 (Pp. 153-154): "Argentina has made to promote dialogue and a peaceful and definitive solution to the question of the Malvinas Islands, its commitment to respect the way of life of the inhabitants of the Malvinas". Does the Netherlands Institute for the Law at Sea hold an "anti-British agenda"?
- I really don't understand why such a big deal is made against a simple term with no political agenda. As Herostratus proposed it, the purpose was to include the appropiate translations for each of the terms. Just as "Malvinas Islands" is an English term with a relevant amount of usage, "Islas Falklands" is a Spanish term with similar amount of usage.--MarshalN20 | Talk 13:47, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- @WCM, you are still not providing a reliable source which explicitly backs up your claim. So far you have been making personal conclusions (breaking WP:OR). If groups such as the SWP use the term, it does not make it a fringe term. Given that argument, any term that these people use would qualify as a fringe term; it's completely absurd! I repeat, please provide a reliable source which explicitly backs up your claim. Just one, and I promise to stop arguing this case.--MarshalN20 | Talk 13:51, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- The first source is quoting Argentina (and yeah, it probably does have an anti-British agenda!) and uses Falkland Islands in other areas. As for Wayne Smith, I think he probably does have a bias, evidenced by his statement "Great Britain sent a royal dispatch designating a governor of the Malvinas Islands (or Falkland Islands, as the British call them)" on page 55. As for the Netherlands book, it's quoting a letter written by Argentina for goodness sake. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 14:21, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
Further to Chimpmunk's comment, further analysis shows all 3 sources quoted are in fact quoting Argentine Government sources. Whilst individual authors may not have an Anti-British agenda on the Falklands, I think most would agree that the Argentine Government Agenda is fundamentally at odds with the British and its translation represent a political rather than a neutral position.
The sources above do not demonstrate the Malvinas Islands are English etymology or a standard English term.
- Yearbook of the United Nations, 1985 (Pp. 1132-1136). The source is quoting an Argentine text translated into English. Malvinas Island represents a literal translation of Islas Malvinas not an English language term. Clearly the translation is political here, representing an Argentine viewoint - hence my earlier comment that to include both is giving undue prominence to the Argentine claim.
- Wayne Smith, Toward resolution?, 1991, (Various Pages) The pages refer to represent the Argentine political position, again a literal translation of the Argentine term into English.
- Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Barbara Kwiatkowska, Harm Dotinga, International Organizations and the Law of the Sea, 2001 (Pp. 153-154). Again a literal transaltion into English of the Argentine political position.
None demonstrate that it is used in the English language. As I have previously pointed out, where we see Malvinas Islands it is a translation of the Spanish term not an English language term. The assertion the use of this term is not political I do not find persuasive; it clearly is used for political reasons as demonstrated by these sources. And again, the previous discussion concluded its use in the English language was by fringe groups. That is a pre-existing consenus position as demonstrated in the archives I have already referenced.
Analysis has demonstrated that Malvinas Islands is not a standard English term, it is either a fringe political use or alternatively a literal translation. The request was for a reliable source to demonstrate its use in English etymology, all that has been provided are examples with use as a translation, where the common English word is not used for entirely political reasons.
Analysis has also demonstrated Islas Falkland has a minority usage in Spanish, there is a difference between how the two are used - indeed at one point it was even used in Argentina. The only question I really see is whethere it is sufficiently often used to merit inclusion as minority usage. Wee Curry Monster talk 14:37, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- I go back to WP:OR. Please provide just one reliable source which agrees with your personal conclusions, and that will be the end of this discussion.--MarshalN20 | Talk 15:01, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- 9,940 books exist which use the term in English ([22]). The assumption that approximately 9,940 books hold a political agenda against the United Kingdom is really quite interesting.--15:05, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- My earlier comment was "fringe political use or alternatively a literal translation of the Spanish language". I've made this point several times. It is not an English language term as shown by the analysis above. I've also pointed you to the previous discussion concerning fringe use. QED Wee Curry Monster talk 16:01, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Why can you not provide a single source which can back up your position? Other editors would demand a long list of reliable sources, but I only ask for one. Why is this difficult?--MarshalN20 | Talk 16:07, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- He doesn't need to. Per WP:V, the onus is on the person wishing to add content to justify it, and in this case that would be you. You need to back up the claim that you wish to make (by implication) in the article that Malvinas or Malvinas Islands, taken alone, sees significant usage in English, and you haven't done that yet. Pfainuk talk 17:46, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- It has been demonstrated by the amount of books (in GoogleBooks) that the term does have a consistent usage in the English language as another way to name the islands. It is not a made-up term, it is not a political term (even if people with agenda use it), and it is not an insult. "Malvinas Islands" is nothing more than a second name for the islands (taking the Spanish name, which in turn took the French name of the islands). It's a historical name of relevant usage and deserves a mention of it in the article. In that sense, I agree with the editor who proposed including it in the opening sentence.--MarshalN20 | Talk 04:09, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- Actually, it doesn't. Just looking at the first page, we have 7 sources using the diplomatic constructions such as Falklands (Malvinas) Islands (which are already mentioned in the article), two which quote official statements of the Argentine government and one that is an Argentine source outright setting out to "disprove" the British claim. This does not demonstrate any relevant usage of the name in English. Keep going through and you keep with the same story.
- It has been demonstrated by the amount of books (in GoogleBooks) that the term does have a consistent usage in the English language as another way to name the islands. It is not a made-up term, it is not a political term (even if people with agenda use it), and it is not an insult. "Malvinas Islands" is nothing more than a second name for the islands (taking the Spanish name, which in turn took the French name of the islands). It's a historical name of relevant usage and deserves a mention of it in the article. In that sense, I agree with the editor who proposed including it in the opening sentence.--MarshalN20 | Talk 04:09, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- He doesn't need to. Per WP:V, the onus is on the person wishing to add content to justify it, and in this case that would be you. You need to back up the claim that you wish to make (by implication) in the article that Malvinas or Malvinas Islands, taken alone, sees significant usage in English, and you haven't done that yet. Pfainuk talk 17:46, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Why can you not provide a single source which can back up your position? Other editors would demand a long list of reliable sources, but I only ask for one. Why is this difficult?--MarshalN20 | Talk 16:07, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- My earlier comment was "fringe political use or alternatively a literal translation of the Spanish language". I've made this point several times. It is not an English language term as shown by the analysis above. I've also pointed you to the previous discussion concerning fringe use. QED Wee Curry Monster talk 16:01, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- I note in passing that WP:NCGN gives a guideline of 10% of English-language sources for a name to be considered relevant. It is patently obvious that the area under the Falkland Islands curve here is far more than ten times larger than the area under the Malvinas Islands curve - and that applies even when you disregard the fact that the Malvinas Islands curve appears in fact to be mostly sources using the aforementioned diplomatic Falkland (Malvinas) Islands usage (which, as I say, is already mentioned in the article). Pfainuk talk 09:37, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
Could we not have Falkland Islands (Spanish name Islad Malvinas) making it clear its not a litural translation?Slatersteven (talk) 15:41, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- I think that would be a good improvement.--MarshalN20 | Talk 16:14, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- It depends what you mean by a "literal translation", really. My view would be that because "Malvinas" has no meaning in Spanish beyond as a name, it doesn't really have a literal translation. The same could be said of "Falkland", or indeed "France" or "Peru". By contrast, countries such as the United States or the Netherlands, which do have literal meanings in English (although the second is archaic), have literal translations - but translate "nether lands" into Dutch literally and a Dutch speaker may not understand it as a reference to the Netherlands.
- While it is clear that Islas Malvinas is not etymologically related to Falkland Islands, this is not uncommon in direct translation of place names. While it is unusual for names for the same place in different languages to cover slightly different semantic ground, this is more common among other direct translations, and I would imagine that it is less rare in other cases of disputed territory. It is fair to say that "Islas Malvinas" is the common term in Spanish speakers in cases where English speakers would use "Falkland Islands" - so the suggestion that it is a direct translation is not unreasonable. I also note that it is cited: this used to be in the lede precisely to forestall this argument. Pfainuk talk 16:58, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
Islas Falkland
Textual analysis has demonstrated Islas Falkland has minority use in the Spanish language. Can we start a discussion as to whether this merits reference to the term in the article or not. [23] is a recent reference to its use in Southern Chile and [24] shows it used in Argentina up to 1941. Wee Curry Monster talk 16:09, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- It holds as much merit as "Malvinas Islands".--MarshalN20 | Talk 16:19, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Not true at all. It appears to actually be used sometimes, as was historically the actual common Spanish name. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 16:49, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Both graphs show similarities ([25], and [26]). Both terms show similar trends going back to the 1800 ([27], and [28]), and both terms show a similar rise since the 1800s ([29], and [30]). To disregard "Malvinas Islands" but accept "Islas Falklands" is contradictory.--MarshalN20 | Talk 17:04, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Sure, if you ignore the scale, then they show a similarity. Anyway, that doesn't change the fact it was the common name up to the last century. Can we focus on the merits of Islas Falkland by itself, rather than going on this pointless tangent? Chipmunkdavis (talk) 17:32, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Both graphs show similarities ([25], and [26]). Both terms show similar trends going back to the 1800 ([27], and [28]), and both terms show a similar rise since the 1800s ([29], and [30]). To disregard "Malvinas Islands" but accept "Islas Falklands" is contradictory.--MarshalN20 | Talk 17:04, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Not true at all. It appears to actually be used sometimes, as was historically the actual common Spanish name. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 16:49, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- (edit conflict)No it was not. There are no sources that say so: there was usage, but the commonality of this usage is not what you say it is. It is exactly like "Malvinas Islands", a politically convenient translation. I though I made that clear above, in particular with the "Germany/Alemania" comparison: common name is not the same as usage.
- Let me be conclusive: Spanish, unlike English but like French and other languages, has an Academy of Language, the Real Academia Española, which is responsible of regulating the Spanish language, and which has national chapters in nearly all of the Spanish-speaking countries of the world. Besides publishing a comprehensive dictionary and grammar book, it has a number of other official reference publicantions. Its paper editions are update in their website between publications. The RAE has published, and maintains updated in its website a "Diccionario panhispánico de dudas" (Panhispanic Doubts Reference Dictionary). The sole purpose of the authoritative dictionary is to provide authoritative answers on linguistic matters encountered by translators, interpreters, copy editors, and academics, and to provide clarity and resolution to linguistic controversy in the Spanish language. I have access to the hard copy book, but the same info is available online: here. It says in Spanish:
“ | Malvinas. Forma tradicional española del nombre de estas islas situadas en el Atlántico sur, al este del estrecho de Magallanes: «Malaspina queda ciertamente impresionado por las islas Malvinas» (Astronomía [Esp.] 30.12.03). No debe usarse en español el nombre inglésFalkland (Islands). El gentilicio mayoritario y recomendado es malvinense: «Todas las mañanas iza la bandera sobre tierra malvinense» (Clarín [Arg.] 2.4.01). | ” |
My rough translation is :
“ | Malvinas: the traditional Spanish [language] form of the islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, to the east of the Strait of Magellan. [omitting quote from usage source - cite is of the academic journal "Astronomia"]. One should never use in the Spanish language the English language name Falkland (Islands). The most commonly and recommended demonym is "malvinense" [ omitting quote from usage source - cite is from the Clarin newspaper] | ” |
- A good English language source in terms of the official and accepted nature of "Islas Malvinas" in the Spanish language is the usage in the CIA World Factbook, Falkland Island (Islas Malvinas). They do so not because the US government supports the Argentinian claim, but because the official name in Spanish is "Islas Malvinas", and the CIA translators respect the RAE. Regional usage does influence the determination of official status in the RAE, specially in the last three or so editions (ie since the fall of Franco and the opening up of Spain to the rest of the world), but regional usage cannot be used to determine the name we give in Wikipedia. In any case, historic usage of the term "Islas Falkland" doesn't belong here, as this article is not about the topic in 1941, but the topic today, and even if we apply the Spanish equivalent of WP:ENGVAR, the applicable Spanish variation today would be Argentinian Spanish, which uses "Islas Malvinas" universally today (even on the part of those in Argentina which support the UK's position - which are not an insignificant number, mind you).
- I really hope this resolves this controversy, because with such definitive evidence of usage, almost any objection is quixotic at best, disruptive at worse: this is how the Spanish language works, take it or leave it. A random wikipedia editor cannot be given more weight than the definitive and authoritative source on the Spanish language, the RAE, no matter how learned the scholarship is, and no matter the views of the editor on the subject.--Cerejota (talk) 17:42, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- I really don't see this as a controversy. If there is a minority use of the term Islas Falkland in Spanish, then the fact this is not officially endorsed is not of itself reason to ignore its inclusion. I find this argument that the official version of Spanish is definitive and precludes any possibility of debate to be fundamentally at odds with wikipedia's policy of a WP:NPOV.
- Similarly a Spanish equivalent to WP:ENGVAR does not hold sway, as we are not talking about spelling or language use differences but acknowledging there is more than one name used in Spanish. Reviewing the archive, I find several Argentine editors acknowledging its use in Chile but the reasons for not including it I have to say don't conform with wikipedia's policies.
- Nor do I see its use as WP:SYN since it is based upon documented use of the term in both Chile and, admittedly in the past, Argentina. Etymology is about the use of language over time, so if the term has been used historically then it is very much relevant. Use in 22% of Argentine text books represents a significant minority usage. And I find it difficult to accept the claim its a convenient political usage even in a historic context in Argentina.
- We are not seeking to claim Islas Malvinas is not the predominant term used in Spanish but discussing whether to mention the historic and minority use today. Whether it is appropriate for an overview or would perhaps be better used elsewhere.
- Its not the case this is simply a translation, it is the use of a term in the Spanish language. What does cause me concern is the attempt to close the debate down. Wee Curry Monster talk 18:46, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
- Dear Wee, accepting easily that 45% is "most" (more than the others combined, as Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Is there a primary topic? requires), one shouldn't be surprised to be confronted with other unreasonable demands. Best, Apcbg (talk) 06:14, 21 September 2011 (UTC)
Comparing "Islas Falkland" to "Islas Malvinas" is an error. Primary English name is "Falkland Islands". If we are going to include another name (in Spanglish, English, Russian, or whatever) it must hold at least 10% of usage with respect to the primary name, OR it must be used by people which inhabited the place.
From WP:NCGN#General_guidelines: "Relevant foreign language names (one used by at least 10% of sources in the English language or is used by a group of people which used to inhabit this geographical place) are permitted."
So the real picture we should be looking at is Falkland Islands vs Islas Falkland, as "Islas Falklands" is evidently not used in Argentina.
Regards. --Langus (talk) 23:22, 21 September 2011 (UTC)
- [31] If you look at the Spanish language it is around 10% mark, hence my suggestion we included it as a Spanish language term. Its certainly been used historically at levels comparable with Islas Malvinas. Whether Islas Falkland is used in Argentina is irrelevant (it was banned officially in 1941). I'm talking etymology here not the lead and the reasons being put forward for not mentioning it I have to say don't stack well with wikipedia's policies.
- ...who's comment is that above?--Τασουλα (Almira) (talk) 23:57, 23 September 2011 (UTC)
@ChipmunkDavis, what is important here is the ratio. Smooth out the curves to 50, in order to get a straight analysis, and you will find that the ratio of Falklands Islands to Malvinas/Malvina Islands is (5000 to 500). Similarly, the ratio of Islas Malvinas to Islas Falklands (1000 to 100). Both have the 1 to 10 ratio (10 being the dominant term in either language, and 1 being the "secondary" term). Given this, both "Malvinas Islands" and "Islas Falkland" have the same relevancy, and if you are going to argue in favor of one, then the other has the same weight. Best regards.--MarshalN20 | Talk 04:00, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- Except there is a distinct difference. Islas Falkland is used as am alternative name in the Spanish language. Malvinas Islands is used as a translation of a Spanish term to avoid using the English language equivalent for political reasons. There is a distinct difference in usage. Malvinas Islands has no use prior to 1982. Islas Falkland has been used for some time. Not to mention there is a push by Argentina to stamp out its use. Wee Curry Monster talk 09:59, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- In this case, Malvinas Islands actually appears to be mostly people using the sort of UN-style usage that we already mention in the article (i.e. Falkland (Malvinas) Islands or Falkland/Malvinas Islands). This happens with Islas Falkland as well, but to a slightly lesser extent. Pfainuk talk 10:12, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- I like how the two of you have excuses for everything. "Appears to be" is a personal assumption, and the claim that "Malvinas Islands has no use prior to 1982" is false (Demonstrated by this 1842 source). That Chileans use "Islas Falkland" is no surprise since they like to bother Argentina whenever possible (and viceversa). The rest of South America has firmly stood in favor of Argentina's claim, and "Islas Malvinas" has been the de facto Spanish term even before Argentina began to "stamp out" the other term. Both terms have a 1:10 ratio, hence both terms have the 10% usage demanded by the rules, and it's completely illogical to demand the inclusion of one term and exclude the other.--MarshalN20 | Talk 13:52, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- To make this a bot easier, lets leave out South America for now, what does the rest of the Spanish language workd say?Slatersteven (talk) 14:25, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- I think somebody brought up a source from the Real Academia Española, which regulates the Spanish language, and that had the term "Islas Malvinas" as the official Spanish name for the territory. Aside from that, I do not know how it would be possible to know what the whole Spanish speaking world actually calls the islands without ending up in Original Research. That is, unless someone can find a source which has actually done an analysis on this matter?--MarshalN20 | Talk 14:45, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- To make this a bot easier, lets leave out South America for now, what does the rest of the Spanish language workd say?Slatersteven (talk) 14:25, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- I like how the two of you have excuses for everything. "Appears to be" is a personal assumption, and the claim that "Malvinas Islands has no use prior to 1982" is false (Demonstrated by this 1842 source). That Chileans use "Islas Falkland" is no surprise since they like to bother Argentina whenever possible (and viceversa). The rest of South America has firmly stood in favor of Argentina's claim, and "Islas Malvinas" has been the de facto Spanish term even before Argentina began to "stamp out" the other term. Both terms have a 1:10 ratio, hence both terms have the 10% usage demanded by the rules, and it's completely illogical to demand the inclusion of one term and exclude the other.--MarshalN20 | Talk 13:52, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- Your comments on "excuses" are again disappointing. We should all try to keep personal observations out of this discussion, and that includes you.
- You say, "[a]ppears to be" is a personal assumption. Yes, there is assumption involved there: that the first few pages are typical. But there's also an assumption involved in your citing those raw figures, whether you know it or not. You are assuming that all books that use the words "Malvinas" and "Islands" together are neutral sources that use "Malvinas Islands" exclusively.
- The first few pages of your Google Books search make it obvious that this assumption is flawed. A large majority of those sources are using UN-style constructions such as "Falklands (Malvinas) Islands". Most of the remainder are Argentine government statements. This flaw in your assumption badly damages your argument that there is a 10:1 ratio in usage here.
- Now, I'm not saying that this is not also the case of Islas Falkland. Several of these flaws are also present in that search. My own view is that Islas Falkland does not belong in the lede (which is not what Curry Monster is arguing), and I think we have to be careful with it in the etymology section. But arguing purely based on counts of sources when they're not saying what you think they say is not credible. Pfainuk talk 15:00, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- Nor really OR, you could for example look at newspapers and books and present those that use the term. Thus we could determine its usage. All that needs to be shown its that its common enough usage.Slatersteven (talk) 15:32, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- All searches are bound to have some margin of error. That you found a few is no surprise, but the majority of them (in both cases) point towards a usage that justifies the 1:10 ratio (in both cases). Your assumption is similar to WCM's claim that just because some fringe groups use the term politically, then the term itself is fringe. It simply doesn't make sense. The term "Malvinas Islands" is mostly used simply as an alternate name to the territory, with no political intent. Most of the sources in GoogleBooks use the term freely with no "bad" intention.--MarshalN20 | Talk 15:38, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- Have you even looked at your search results? This is not one or two references to "Falklands/Malvinas Islands" or "Falklands (Malvinas) Islands" or similar. Most - a clear majority - of your results are for this kind of formulation, which is already mentioned in the article. And of the rest, most are quoting the Argentine government in one form or another. Your dismissal of what must amount to 90% of your search results as a matter of "margin of error" is frankly ludicrous - that that figure doesn't count those results that are clearly Argentine-biased and those that use "Falkland Islands" primarily but refer to "Malvinas Islands" in the context of the Argentine side of the dispute, or in italics or quotes.
- Your claim that the term "Malvinas Islands" is mostly used simply as an alternate name to the territory, with no political intent has no basis in any evidence that you have given us. Nor indeed, does your claimed 1:10 ratio. Pfainuk talk 16:53, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- When I mentioned the "margin of error", I meant it in reference to the Argentinean government's letters or statements. That is only a minority in the search results.
- I find it interesting how you accept that {"Falklands/Malvinas Islands" or "Falklands (Malvinas) Islands" or similar} holds a majority in the searches. The usage of "/" and the parentheses in the sources only serve to demonstrate the existence of the alternate name. They are not writing the alternate name as "Islas Malvinas", but rather they are presenting the alternates as either "Falkland Islands" or "Malvinas Islands" (either one is accepted as demonstrated by the "/" and parentheses).
- In other words, you are accepting that my position is indeed correct (whether you meant it or not). Thank you for that.
- However, I disagree with your claim that the search is mostly "quoting the Argentine government in one form or another", because it's not true.
- No evidence exists to support whether the term "Malvinas Islands" is political or not, because no source actually states this. Given that situation, it is not correct to assume that it is a political term simply because some fringe groups use it. Hence, at a neutral stance, it goes back to the concept that "Malvinas Islands" as a political term holds no real basis.
- Regarding the ratio, I explained how I got the results quite recently. I'll let you have a scavenger hunt for it. Best of wishes.--MarshalN20 | Talk 17:55, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- Well, no, because you've been arguing that we should refer to usage of "Malvinas Islands" alone, and suggest that it is commonplace. Which it is not, and your search does not imply that it is. If you were arguing that the article should mention formulations like "Falkland (Malvinas) Islands", then my pointing out that we already do should have been sufficient.
- I note with interest that you have still not been able to cite a single neutral source that uses "Malvinas Islands" as though it were a politically neutral term - and certainly haven't demonstrated that it's in common use. We're not talking about "Falkland (Malvinas) Islands" or similar formulations here - they're already mentioned in the article. We're talking about the term "Malvinas Islands", taken alone. Given that you want the article to claim that it's commonly used and politically neutral, it's up to you to demonstrate this. Your failure to do so is glaringly obvious.
- From your message above, it is clear that the 1:10 claim is based on the ludicrous assumption that everyone who writes "Falkland/Malvinas Islands" means "Malvinas Islands" really. That is not a persuasive argument. Pfainuk talk 18:13, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- It seems that the main issue here is that I have (perhaps) been misinterpreted?
- I am not suggesting "Malvinas Islands" should be mentioned "alone" (I am not even sure what you mean to say by that). My position is in favor of including a mention of it in the lead as an alternate title in the English language. Similar to "Falkland Islands, also known as Malvinas Islands (es:Islas Malvinas), bla bla bla". That is all. The term "Falkland Islands" is going to be used throughout the rest of the article (except maybe for a mention of "Malvinas Islands" again in the etymology section).
- My search implies that there is approximately a 1:10 ratio between the terms. At no point am I using that to claim "Malvinas Islands" is the official or commonplace name for the islands. It's simply an alternate name with a degree of usage which merits a small mention (and nothing more than that).
- I don't know what article you may be reading, but the one I open up at point uses anything similar to "Falkland (Malvinas) Islands". Nothing related to the English term "Malvinas Islands" is actually mentioned. All that is mentioned is the Spanish term Islas Malvinas.
- I don't want the article to claim it as a "politically neutral term or commonly used" term. When did I ever write that I wanted to include this into the article?
- The usage of "/" is equivalent to the term "or". All the sources that use "/" are writing "Falkland or Malvinas" (Falkland/Malvinas). The same thing happens with the parenthesis usage.
- I hope this clears up what seems to have been a misunderstanding. Best regards.--MarshalN20 | Talk 19:55, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
- It seems that the main issue here is that I have (perhaps) been misinterpreted?
- In that case, you are suggesting that "Malvinas Islands" should be mentioned alone. That it be included as a standalone term without reference to the word "Falkland".
- Your search does not imply this. Your proposal is that we put "Malvinas Islands" (without reference to the word "Falkland") as a separate name in the lede. This is the same as treating it as an official or commonplace name for the islands. Your are not proposing a small mention, you're effectively proposing it go up in massive lights at the top of the article. Your search does not imply "that there is approximately a 1:10 ratio between the terms", for reasons that I have already provided you with. I'd also note that your methodology is not good, as it relies on a snapshot of sources written within an unknown time period, using a line that has had all relevant information smoothed out of it.
- The etymology (formerly titled "name", and this was more accurate) section of this article refers to the ISO naming. Your claim that "Malvinas Islands" (without reference to the word "Falkland") is an English language term to anyone but the Argentine government and a few of its supporters is unsupported by any source thus far.
- Your proposal is that we treat "Malvinas Islands" (without reference to the word "Falkland") as a politically neutral and commonly used term, by treating it as equal with "Falkland Islands" in the lede. This is inherent in the change you want to make. If you do not want the article to claim that it is a politically neutral term, and don't want it to claim that it is a commonly used term, stop telling us to put it in the lede.
- Not really, no. And in any case, use of "Falklands/Malvinas Islands" and similar fairly obviously does not imply that "Malvinas Islands" (without reference to the word "Falkland"), is commonly used in English. Such usage is used by international organisations primarily to appease the Argentine government.
- We are required to give viewpoints their due weight, and not more than their due weight. Your proposal that we put "Malvinas Islands" in the lede gives that term massively undue weight. Even putting it in the name section probably does that. If you want this edit, then it is up to you to demonstrate that "Malvinas Islands" (without reference to the word "Falkland") has common currency in English. So far, you have fairly spectacularly failed to do this. Pfainuk talk 20:14, 24 September 2011 (UTC)