THE U.S. NAVY WILL NO LONGER COMMUNICATE EXCLUSIVELY IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS AND ORDERS HAVE BEEN IN ALL CAPS SINCE 19TH CENTURY. YOUNG SAILORS ACCUSTOMED TO TEXTING SEE ALL-CAPS ORDERS AS A FORM OF SHOUTING!
NAVY WANTS ITS ORDERS AND OFFICIAL MESSAGES TO BE MORE READABLE AND LESS RUDE. “WHILE THIS DECISION WAS MADE TO SAVE MONEY AND GAIN EFFICIENCIES, IF AN ANCILLARY BENEFIT IS THAT SAILORS READING MESSAGE TRAFFIC NO LONGER FEEL THEY’RE BEING SCREAMED AT…THAT’S A GOOD THING TOO,” SAID A NAVY OFFICIAL.
OLD BULLS STILL PREFER SHOUTING ORDERS AND SENDING MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS. BUT THE NAVY OFFICIAL DENIES THAT DROPPING OF ALL-CAPS COMMUNICATION IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE SERVICE GOING SOFT. TRADITION OF ALL-CAPS COMMUNICATION IS A LEGACY OF TELETYPE MACHINES OF 1850S THAT LACKED LOWERCASE LETTERS.
BUT ONLY NOW IS THE NAVY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS EMBRACED LOWERCASE LETTERS AND THAT AND ALL-CAPS MESSAGES ARE DEEPLY ANNOYING.
“LOWERCASE MESSAGES ARE HERE TO STAY,” JAMES MCCARTY, THE NAVAL MESSAGING PROGRAM MANAGER AT FLEET CYBER COMMAND SAID IN A STATEMENT. OR, RATHER, AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
THE NAVY NOTICE THAT LOWERCASE LETTERS COULD BE USED WAS IRONICALLY ISSUED IN ALL CAPS. THE SCOOP WAS FIRST REPORTED BY NAVY TIMES. MANY ARMY ORDERS ARE STILL ISSUED IN CAPS AND OFFICERS FROM OTHER SERVICES HOPE REST OF PENTAGON WILL FOLLOW THE NAVY’S LEAD. “THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN TRYING TO READ C— IN ALL CAPS,” SAID AN ARMY OFFICER.
NEW, CHEAPER NAVY MESSAGING SYSTEM ALLOWS ORDERS AND MESSAGES TO BE SENT WITH LOWERCASE LETTERS. ACCORDING TO THE NAVY THE NEW COMMAND AND CONTROL OFFICE INFORMATION EXCHANGE—OR C2OIX IN NAVYSPEAK–WILL BECOME OPERATIONAL IN AUGUST AND IS SUPPOSED TO SAVE $15 MILLION A YEAR. BUT NOT ALL NAVY SYSTEMS CAN PROCESS MIXED CASES. AND OFFICIALS SAY IT WON’T BE UNTIL 2015 THAT ALL MESSAGING SYSTEMS WILL BE ABLE TO USE LOWERCASE LETTERS.
SO, IN SOME QUARTERS, THE SHOUTING CAN CONTINUE FOR A COUPLE MORE YEARS.
The Wall Street Journal
