Sic
TheLatinadverbsic(/sɪk/;thus,so,andin this manner) inserted after a quotation indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated as found in the source text, including erroneous, archaic, or unusual spelling,punctuation,andgrammar.Sicalso applies to any surprising assertion, faulty reasoning, or other matter that might be interpreted as anerror of transcription.
We are prepared, under appropriate circumstances, to provide information bearing on the credibly [sic] and veracity of any such source.
Irin Carmonquoting a law firm[1]
The typical editorial usage ofSicis to inform the reader that any errors in a quotation did not arise from editorial errors in the transcription, but are intentionally reproduced as they appear in the source text being quoted; thus,sicis placed insidebracketsto indicate it is not part of the quotation.Siccan also be used derisively to direct the reader's attention to the writer's spelling mistakes and erroneous logic, or to show disapproval of the content or form of the material.[2]
Etymology and historical usage
[edit]
In the English language, the Latin adverbsicis used as an adverb, and derivatively as a noun and as a verb.[3]Theadverbsic,meaning 'intentionally so written', first appeared in Englishc. 1856.[4]It is derived from theLatinadverbsīc,which means 'so', 'thus', 'in this manner'.[5]According to theOxford English Dictionary,the verbal form ofsic,meaning 'to mark with asic',emerged in 1889,E. Belfort Bax'swork inThe Ethics of Socialismbeing an early example.[6]
Folk etymologies
[edit]On occasion,sichas been misidentified as anacronym[7](and therefore sometimes misspelled with periods):s.i.c.is said to stand for "spelled/said in copy/context", "spelling is correct", "spelled incorrectly", and other suchfolk etymologyphrases. These are all incorrect and are simplybackronymsfromsic.
Modern usage
[edit]Use ofsicgreatly increased in the mid-20th century.[8]For example, inUnited Statesstate-court opinions before 1944,sicappeared 1,239 times in theWestlawdatabase; in those from 1945 to 1990, it appeared 69,168 times, over 55 times as many.[2]Its use as a form of ridicule has been cited as a major factor in this increase.[2]The immoderate use ofsichas created some controversy, leading some editors, including bibliographical scholar Simon Nowell-Smith and literary criticLeon Edel,to speak out against it.[9]
Conventional use
[edit]The bracketed form [sic] is most often inserted into quoted or reprinted material to indicate meticulous accuracy in reproducing the preceding text, despite appearances to the reader of an incorrect or unusualorthography(spelling,punctuation,grammar, syntax, fact, logic, etc.).[2][10]Several usage guides recommend that a bracketedsicbe used primarily as an aid to the reader, not as an indicator of disagreement with the source.[2][11]
Use to denote archaisms and dialect
[edit]Sicmay show that an uncommon orarchaicexpression is reported faithfully,[12]such as when quoting theU.S. Constitution:"The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker... "However, several writing guidebooks discourage its use with regard to dialect, such as in cases ofAmerican and British English spelling differences.[8][11][13]The appearance of a bracketedsicafter the wordanalysein a book review ledBryan A. Garnerto comment, "all the quoter (or overzealous editor) [sic] demonstrated was ignorance of British usage".[2]
Ironic use
[edit]Occasionally a writer places [sic] after their own words, to indicate that the language has been chosen deliberately for special effect, especially where the writer's ironic meaning may otherwise be unclear.[14]Bryan A. Garnerdubbed this use ofsic"ironic", providing the following example fromFred Rodell's1955 bookNine Men:[2]
[I]n 1951, it was the blessing bestowed on JudgeHarold Medina'sprosecution[sic] of the eleven so-called 'top native Communists,' which blessing meant giving the Smith Act the judicial nod of constitutionality.
Formatting
[edit]Wheresicfollows the quotation, it takesbrackets:[sic].[15]The wordsicis often treated as aloanwordthat does not require italics, and the style manuals of New Zealand, Australian and British media outlets generally do not require italicisation.[11]However, italicization is common in the United States, where authorities includingAPA Styleinsist upon it.[16]
Becausesicis not an abbreviation, placing afull stop/period inside the brackets after the wordsicis erroneous,[17][18]although the California Style Manual suggests styling it as a parenthetical sentence only when used after a complete sentence, like so: (Sic.)[15]
Alternatives
[edit]Replacement
[edit]Some guides, includingThe Chicago Manual of Style,recommend "quietcopy-editing"(unless where inappropriate or uncertain) instead of inserting a bracketedsic,such as by substituting in brackets the correct word in place of the incorrect word or by simply replacing an incorrect spelling with the correct one.[2][19]
Recte
[edit]Alternatively, to show both the original and the suggested correction (as they often are inpalaeography), one may give the actual form, followed byrecte,then the correct form, in brackets. The Latin adverbrectemeansrightly.[20]
An Iraqi battalion has consumed [recteassumed] control of the former American military base, and our forces are now about 40 minutes outside the city.
According to theJournal of Seventeenth-Century Music Style Sheet,there should be no punctuation, for example no colon, before the correct form when usingrecte.[21]
Read
[edit]A third alternative is to follow an error withsic,a comma or colon, "read", and the correct reading, all within square brackets, as in the following example:
Item 26 - 'Plan of space alongside Evinghews [sic: read Evening News] Printing Works and overlooked by St. Giles House University Hall', [Edinburgh][22]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Carmon, Irin (2019-04-01)."What Was the Washington Post Afraid Of?".Intelligencer.Retrieved2024-02-06.
- ^abcdefghGarner, Bryan A. (2001). "sic".A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage(2nd ed.). US: Oxford University Press. pp.806–807.ISBN978-0-19-514236-5.
- ^"sic, adv. (and n.)"Oxford English Dictionary,Second Edition 1989.Oxford University Press
- ^3sic.Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary.Merriam-Webster, 2003.ISBN0-87779-809-5,ISBN978-0-87779-809-5.(p.1156)
- ^Cassell's Latin Dictionary
- ^"sic, adv. (and n.)"Oxford English Dictionary,Second Edition 1989. Oxford University Press; see also E. Belfort Bax."On Some Forms of Modern Cant".Commonweal: 7 May 1887. Marxists' Internet Archive: 14 Jan. 2006
- ^e.g."Thefreedictionary.com".Retrieved2014-04-10.
- ^abBryan A. Garner.The Oxford dictionary of American usage and style.Oxford University Press US, 2000.ISBN0-19-513508-3,ISBN978-0-19-513508-4
- ^Leon Edel's"Introduction" toHenry James Letters(Volume 1, 1843 – 1875). Harvard University Press, 1974.ISBN0-674-38780-5,ISBN978-0-674-38780-5
- ^"Grammar and Style."USD History Guide for Writing Research Papers.Department of History, University of South Dakota. 6/12/2009
- ^abcWilliam Coyle and Joe Law (2009).Research Papers.Cengage Learning. p. 72.ISBN978-0-547-19081-5.
- ^Carillo, Jose A. (March 6, 2010)."The role of the bracketed 'sic' in English prose".The Manila Times.Archivedfrom the original on Jun 28, 2023.
- ^Remero, Donald (May 9, 2010)."Quoting British / American English".ieosetta.com. Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2010.
- ^H. W. Fowler (2001)A Dictionary of Modern English Usage.Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.807.ISBN978-0-19-953534-7
- ^abJessen, Edward W. (2000).California Manual of Style: A Handbook of Legal Style for California Courts and Lawyers(PDF)(4th ed.). pp. 132–133. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-07-28.Retrieved2015-08-10.
- ^"Parentheses, Ellipses, and Brackets"(PDF).Writing Center.Johnson County Community College. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-08-31.Retrieved19 November2014.
- ^Quotations.Archived2011-09-02 at theWayback Machine.The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Accessed: October 2, 2010
- ^Wilson, Kenneth G. (1993). "sic (adv.)".The Columbia Guide to Standard American English.Columbia University Press.p.395.ISBN9780231069885.Retrieved2009-11-03.
- ^"Style Q&A: Quotations and Dialogue".The Chicago Manual of Style Online.Retrieved28 September2018.
In paragraph 13.7, in the section on permissible changes to quotations,CMOSsays, 'Obvious typographic errors may be corrected silently (without comment orsic) unless the passage quoted is from an older work or a manuscript source where idiosyncrasies of spelling are generally preserved.'
- ^Janet Fairweather.Liber Eliensis.Boydell Press, 2005.ISBN1-84383-015-9,ISBN978-1-84383-015-3.(p. xxix)
- ^Bruce Gustafson.JSCM Style Sheet.Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music, 2 January 2010.
- ^"Item 26 – 'Plan of space alongside Evinghews [sic: read Evening News] Printing Works and overlooked by St. Giles House University Hall', [Edinburgh]".University of Strathclyde Archives.Retrieved19 November2014.