Usage of macrons in Latin loanwords


I know that diacritics are often retained in loanwords in formal writing (cf. naïveté), but I haven't seen this done with direct adaptation of Latin words; i.e., per se.


In Latin, per sē comes with a macron, indicating the longness of the vowel. This practice is uncommon (unused?) in English, but so are accents and diæresis marks, which are retained in the aforementioned naïveté.


Is there any attested usage or relevant guideline regarding the adaptation of macrons from Latin?



Answer



In §11.94, Diacritics—specialized versus general contexts, the Chicago Manual of Style advises (emphasis mine):



Nearly all systems of transliteration require diacritics—including macrons, underdots, and overdots, to name just a few. Except in linguistic studies or other highly specialized works, a system using as few diacritics as are needed to aid pronunciation is easier on readers, publisher, and author.


...


For nonspecialized works, the transliterated forms without diacritics that are listed in any of the latest editions of the Merriam-Webster dictionaries are usually preferred by readers and authors alike.



In general, it's not necessary to italicize or apply macrons to foreign words that have been transliterated and absorbed into English.


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