Do you capitalise "tiger"?
I am dictating this using Dragon Dictate and this well-known software automatically capitalizes the word "Tiger". It always does this and, in my opinion, it is incorrect because the word "tiger" is not a proper noun. It describes the tiger generally. And therefore, it should not be capitalised. If the word "tiger" is used as part of the description of a tiger species such as "Siberian tiger" it is always in lowercase i.e. not capitalized but the word "Siberian" is a proper noun and therefore it should be capitalized.
In conclusion, therefore, the word "tiger" is not capitalised normally but you will see it capitalised nonetheless. In fact, the renowned writer and zoologist, Dr. Desmond Morris, in his book Cat World always capitalizes the word "tiger" (and all the wild cat species). His book was published in 1996. It is entirely possible and plausible that the conventions regarding the capitalisation of the word "tiger" have evolved and changed gradually over those intervening years. What I'm saying is that, at the time, Dr. Desmond Morris was applying a convention as he saw it which was correct but things have changed.
However, it is strange, as mentioned, that the software company that I use, Dragon Dictate, to dictate my articles still capitalise the word "tiger" in 2021. No doubt this quirk can be altered in the settings but it is not readily apparent to me where this setting is situated! It doesn't matter about the software. The answer to the question in the title, though, is that it is not capitalized.
In conclusion, therefore, the word "tiger" is not capitalised normally but you will see it capitalised nonetheless. In fact, the renowned writer and zoologist, Dr. Desmond Morris, in his book Cat World always capitalizes the word "tiger" (and all the wild cat species). His book was published in 1996. It is entirely possible and plausible that the conventions regarding the capitalisation of the word "tiger" have evolved and changed gradually over those intervening years. What I'm saying is that, at the time, Dr. Desmond Morris was applying a convention as he saw it which was correct but things have changed.
However, it is strange, as mentioned, that the software company that I use, Dragon Dictate, to dictate my articles still capitalise the word "tiger" in 2021. No doubt this quirk can be altered in the settings but it is not readily apparent to me where this setting is situated! It doesn't matter about the software. The answer to the question in the title, though, is that it is not capitalized.
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