Italicized words

[The Pelagic Argosy]

So...I'm reading Robert Jordan, and I notice that whenever one of his made up words, like "ta'veren" or "stedding" appears, it's italicized. But his books also have glossaries.

So, if I make up a word, should I italicize it too? What's the rule?

(So far, I have aortetope and sophiates. Those aren't too stupid, are they?)

 

[Malloriel]

I would say that if your made up words are part of a specific language, italics are the way to go, because it alerts the reader that this is not only something special, but not specifically of the common tongue. I've got one language very full of words with budding structures of grammar, and several others of key phrases and words, so uncommon compared to the other that I haven't felt the need to expand on them specifically, but any time I use those words or phrases, I italicize to set them apart and grab the reader's eye.

Then again, I have words like Dorosai (I know it's similiar to Dorsai, and is totally different and fantasy! =P), which are part of the common human usage, and so not in need of differentiation from other languages.

So, in summation: other language = italicize away. Common tongue/usage = standard format.

The non-use of italics lets the reader know that it's part of the world they're being introduced to and gives a sense of "we'll file this away under 'known'" and that they're really a part of it all. In my opinion, anyway.

 

[Shingetsu]

No, I don't believe it's a rule. Just an option. There's lots of books where unique words aren't italicized.

 

[Toby Frost]

I would be tempted to avoid it. To my mind it makes the words stand out too much. I think readers would be more accepting of the strange new words if they didn't stand out too much on the page.

I rather like "sophiates". It sounds like a society of learned, sophisticated people.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Italicizing foreign words has been a literary convention for a long time.

In my own writing, I'm using italics for the words particularly associated with magic, since they come from an ancient language that no one uses in everyday conversation. The italics help to convey that idea, and at the same time make it clear that the reader is not looking at a typo (so they don't have to puzzle their heads over what word it really is), and they don't go running to an ordinary dictionary to look up what they mistake for some obscure word in English.

But the convention doesn't apply to proper nouns, so I don't italicize names.