Names: abbreviations

1. shortened versions of names which appear in their full form elsewhere in the text. In
          these cases the shortening is for convenience and to save space; it often takes the form
          of a single initial followed by a period or dash (Mr. L., Mr. L--). 

2. shortened or encrypted names which never appear in full form, where the goal is to
          appear to conceal (often while transparently revealing) the identity of the referent
          (General W--sh--t-n); these often appear in political satire.

3. shortened versions of names which never appear in full form, where the goal is not to
          refer to any specific person but rather to sketch a generalized person, in the spirit of
          “Mrs. So and So”. These may take the form of a dash (Mrs. ---) or there may be an initial
          present (Mrs. L--), but it is clear from the context that the person is imaginary and does
          not even have a solid fictional existence within the text.

The first two cases should be encoded with <persName>, since they may in the future carry an attribute identifying the person mentioned. The last case should not be encoded with <persName>, since they do not refer to any specific person (not even a fictional one) but merely make a general reference to personhood.