User:GreenC/ad/lr

This is a proposal to merge Category:English literary awards to-> Category:British literary awards. As background, prior to July 2011, there was no Category:English literary awards, the English/British awards were filed under Category:British literary awards. In 2011, a User created Category:English literary awards, perhaps because he saw other UK countries had categories such as Category:Scottish literary awards & Category:Welsh literary awards which are child cats of Category:British literary awards. Presumably, it made logical sense to create one for England too, since Scotland and England are peer countries within the UK, and every other literary award on Wikipedia is organized by country (see Category:Literary awards by country). However, I would argue the UK is a unique situation because it is an overlapping sovereign state and 90% of more of the literary awards in England are either by UK institutions or for UK authors; or don't say if they are specific to England or the UK or the Commonwealth. It becomes uncertain, redundant and arguable which category to place an award, England or UK. If one believes categories are strictly for the award's host country only, than Category:British literary awards would be empty (the UK is not a country). However many of the awards based in England are by UK institutions and/or for UK authors, though for many also it is uncertain. It's quite confusing and unclear when you start looking at the awards individually. This problem was probably recognized long ago on Wikipedia which is why we never had a Category:English literary awards (or perhaps deleted before). It's also confusing for readers to determine which category to look under - one ends up with a fairly arbitrary (and arguable) split with some awards under the British category, and others under the English category (and many people outside the UK don't know the difference between "England" and "UK"). Readers shouldn't have to know or care if an award is incorporated as a UK or England entity when they are headquartered next door to one another. The UK is more encompassing/common thus it makes sense to make it the default for all awards in England. There are other practical considerations, there would be too many genre sub-cats like 'British poetry awards' vs. 'English poetry awards' / 'British children's awards' vs 'England children's awards' etc.. further confusing things. I recommend merge Category:English literary awards to-> Category:British literary awards and reduce the complexity and number of categories. Green Cardamom (talk) 06:34, 23 September 2012 (UTC)