Talk:Halifax, West Yorkshire

The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the proposal was NO CONSENSUS to move page, per discussion below. -GTBacchus^(talk) 09:39, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

Halifax, West Yorkshire → Halifax — This is the original Halifax and the largest by ten times compared to the second largest (Halifax, Massachusetts)—Reginmund 01:40, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Survey

Feel free to state your position on the renaming proposal by beginning a new line in this section with *'''Support''' or *'''Oppose''', then sign your comment with ~~~~. Since polling is not a substitute for discussion, please explain your reasons, taking into account Wikipedia's naming conventions.

• Strong Support - as nominator Reginmund 01:41, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Support - For reasons given. Nigholith 01:48, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Strong oppose. The Halifax Regional Municipality (formerly the City of Halifax) is much larger and is more commonly linked. Dekimasuよ! 04:18, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Comment - Yes, but it is however called the Halifax Regional Municipality. Reginmund 04:21, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

It would usually be called "Halifax" by people typing something into the search box. Dekimasuよ! 05:39, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

• Oppose per Dekimasu, the city in Canada is far more well known and populated. There are also many other articles that "Halifax" could be referring to. TJ Spyke 04:23, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose per Dekimasu. Insisting that the Canadian city is not a Halifax is like claiming that the City and County of San Francisco is not San Francisco, California. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 05:53, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. The Canadian Halifax is significant enough to make the primary title the disambig as currently. Andrewa 08:54, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. Too many possible articles the user could be looking for and with contention on which should be the primary topic better to retain the dab page as Halifax. Keith D 10:40, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. When did size become a guideline for owning the primary name space? Vegaswikian 18:29, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. The Canadian city is much the world's foremost and best known "Halifax", now. (That city, Halifax, Nova Scotia, is not the same thing as Halifax Regional Municipality, which is, rather, the municipal government covering Halifax County including, and of course dominated by, the city of Halifax -- but that's a whole other issue.) Notwithstanding the greater age of the Halifax in West Yorkshire, notwithstanding that other Halifaxes in the world are its namesakes, it is an obscure place as against the Nova Scotian city.
  -- Lonewolf BC 21:53, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. I don't want to get drawn into a debate as to whether Halifax, Nova Scotia is any more or less important than Halifax, West Yorkshire. (I had enough of that regarding Worcester, Massachusetts.....) However, I don't think there is a primary usage here. Within the UK, it's debatable as to whether the primary usage of "Halifax" refers to the town or to the bank. (The shambles over the Halifax, Nova Scotia page is another issue, and is best kept separate from ths one.) --RFBailey 22:19, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. The current title is fine as it is. Especially considering the massive connotation and media advertising of Halifax (bank) which in the UK is referred to as:- The Halifax. Note: Although I was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire I am totally impartial. Richard Harvey 09:51, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
• Oppose. Although the Canadians seem confused as to the proper name of the Nova Scotia city, everyone else thinks it's Halifax. (What's the plural of "Halifax"? "Halifaxes"? "Halifaxen"?) — Arthur Rubin | (talk) 00:05, 25 October 2007 (UTC)
  • The plural is "Halifaces", of course.
• Oppose - I live less than 30 minutes from Halifax and I agree that the bank is more well known. Will ^(talk) 00:28, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Discussion

Any additional comments:

Part of the problem is an old-fashioned, prescriptive approach taken in various places, eg the intro to Halifax Regional Municipality: The municipality is commonly called HRM and often simply, although incorrectly, as Halifax (my emphasis). Modern linguistic practice is to avoid such judgements as to what is correct, and Wikipedia naming conventions follow this descriptive approach. Andrewa 08:59, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

This was previously discussed on the talk page of one of these (maybe at Talk:Halifax, Nova Scotia?) and it was decided that such language would be taken out. I'm not sure why it's still present in that article. Dekimasuよ! 10:25, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

My guess is it's just that the prescriptive POV is pretty strong in some people. The bizarre thing is, those who are fondest of ordering other people around like this are generally the worst at following the rules themselves. Hang in there. Andrewa 18:42, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Fixed Halifax Regional Municipality... we'll see how long it lasts... Andrewa 20:40, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Andrewa, as far as I can tell, the Halifax vs Halifax RM argument is unrelated to what is the primary usage of Halifax. (It needed fixing though!) --RFBailey 22:04, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

IMO they're different issues but related... As has also been noted at Talk:Halifax, Nova Scotia. Good luck keeping it fixed...! And with the other issues going on surrounding the Halifax, Nova Scotia articles. Andrewa 01:07, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

This proposal is like arguing for moving London, Ontario to London since the English city is not called London (it's either City of London or Greater London). — AjaxSmack 02:31, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Well, sort of--in that case, there's an obvious primary usage, which isn't quite true here. --RFBailey 03:21, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Which is why Halifax is a dab page and should stay that way. — AjaxSmack 06:21, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.