Answer: How are italics used in text?

[chiroho]

saavikam77 asked, “How are italics used in text? (For instance, if the text on a sign was being described, or things like the 'up' button of an elevator, the 'send' button on a phone, or the 'A' section of a newspaper, or if a character was reading a letter, or nicknames like 'Mad Dog' Lane)”Originally, the ‘Italic hand’ was used to describe the slightly

Comments

[saavikam77]

Thanks so much for answering my question!! :D This helps so much.

[rushingwind]

I have two questions, if I may...

Question 1: If a word if foreign to the character, but not foreign to the reader, is it then incorrect to italicize the word? For example, if a human were living in another galaxy and had never heard the word 'Earth' before, and were trying to say it for the first time, would it be incorrect to italicize 'Earth' in that situation? What about a verb, like 'swimming'? What if the character has no concept of what 'swimming' means? Would it be wrong to italicize the word?

Question 2: It's mentioned in the comments that italics can be used for telepathic speech, but what if telepathic speech is used interchangeably (and heavily) with regular speech during the course of a single conversation? Would it still be allowable to use italics so often, or would it be necessary to find a different way to differentiate from normal speech and telepathic speech (maybe in order to avoid confusion)?

(Thank you for your time. I really love this community. :)