Correct spelling of RSVP

When you write the French expression Repondez s'il vous plait, in all capital letters -- REPONDEZ S'IL VOUS PLAIT -- do you still use the ^ over the I, or is that only used for a small i?

0 members like this

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Neil Coffey on February 15, 2011 at 12:05am

Both conventions exist: either put the accents or not on capitals, depending on what you think looks best. It's really a matter of preference. If you choose to put the accents, be consistent: the word répondez also has an accent.

Personally, I tend to put the accents: I don't really see the point in not putting them.

Permalink Reply by Karen Eckert on February 15, 2011 at 12:13am

Thanks so much for the advice. I did put the mark over the repondez, but will now add the ^ over the I.

Permalink Reply by Neil Coffey on February 15, 2011 at 1:51am

P.S. I should say that, independently of the capitals issue, in the proposed French spelling reform(which has yet to gain much ground, but is now being taught in schools and included in some mainstream dictionaries), the circumflex is generally being removed in cases like this where it does not resolve an ambiguity. At the moment, I would still recommend including it, but the land may possibly have changed in 10 years' time.