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--- alternate_history:asterisk_method [2011/12/03 15:19] – created Petike
+++ alternate_history:asterisk_method [2019/03/29 15:13] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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 ====== Asterisk Method ======
-A means used by some alternate historians, notably [[offtopic:Jared]], to refer to a person or item that has the same name as a counterpart in [[OTL]], but is significantly different.
+The so-called "asterisk method" is used by some alternate historians, notably [[offtopic:Jared]], as a way of speaking (or rather typing) during timeline discussion to convey that an alternate equivalent of a given country, movement, people, etc., either has the same name as its [[OTL]] counterpart but is significantly different, or that it is (almost) identically named but //not// the same as its OTL counterpart.
-For example, the USA in [[Decades of Darkness]] is a slave-holding imperialist state very different from the OTL USA, but it is still known by the name United States of America...so, to avoid confusion, using the asterisk method would be to call it the *USA, and its inhabitants *Americans.
+----
-Another common use is for alternate monarchs: for example, "WI Elizabeth I had been born a boy?" Given the name Edward, he would become Edward VI of England. To avoid confusion with the different Edward VI of OTL, the timeline writer might say *Edward VI.
+For example, the United States of America in [[offtopic:Jared]]'s **//[[timelines:Decades of Darkness]]//** TL is a slave-holding imperialist state which is both politically and ethnically different from the OTL USA, but is still known by the exact same as the OTL country; referring to the United States in //Decades of Darkness// as the *USA and its inhabitants as *Americans helps to avoid confusion. Another example is, in a discussion pertaining to a country occupying the same area as the United Kingdom but //not// being a constitutional monarchy can be referred to as the *UK rather than the "Great English Empire," for instance. Another common use is for alternate monarchs: for example, "WI Elizabeth I had been born a boy?" Given the name Edward, he would become Edward VI of England, and to avoid confusion, the writer might say *Edward VI. Other examples include:
+  * *America rather than "Atlantis" for broad regions
+  * *Nazis rather than "[[southern victory|Freedom Party]]" for political parties
+  * *Hitler instead of "[[southern victory|Jake Featherston]]", *Gorbachev instead of "Heinz Buckliger," or *Washington instead of "Victor Radcliff" for historical characters
+  * *Spanish instead of "Hispanians," *Alaskans instead of "Alyeskans," *Arabs instead of "Himyars," or *Americans instead of "Vespuccians" for ethnic groups or nationalities
+  * *tanks instead of "[[alternate terminology|barrels]]," *planes instead of "[[alternate terminology|skycraft]]", or *radar instead of "[[alternate terminology|Y-range]]" for alternate technology, etc.
-Other writers have used it for **[[footnoting]]**.
+As made clear in the examples above, the asterisk method is used simply by adding an * at the beginning of a word. Other writers also use the asterisk method for **[[footnoting]]**.
+----
+==== See Also ====
+**[[Footnoting]]**
+----
+==== Navigation ====
+**[[alternate history:alternate history|Alternate History Topics Section Main Directory]]**