[Taxacom] proper use of "de" in a French name

[Richard Jensen]

Gee, Mike, I would think such questions would transcend disciplinary lines.

Might this be a function of editorial convention established by the 
journal? I have seen it De and de, and I'm it may depend on whether your 
are writing in French, German, English or some other language. 
Personally, I would recommend "De Bonvouloir's..."

Cheers,

Dick J

Richard Jensen, Professor
Department of Biology
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tel: 574-284-4674



Michael A. Ivie wrote:
> I have a question for our Francophone members.  I am only interested in 
> the French grammar issues, not at all in any Botanical code or usage 
> things, as this is a zoology paper.  
> Regarding a person named "Victor Henry Vicomte de Bonvouloir", cited in 
> the French literature as "de Bonvouloir." [I realize this is a title not 
> a traditional sur name, but it is used as the only sur name available in 
> the paper] 
>
> The question: When starting a sentence with a French person's name that 
> starts with the honorific "de", should it be:
>
> de Bonvouloir's specimens are said to be...
> De Bonvouloir's specimens are said to be...
> or
> Bonvouloir's specimens are said to be... 
>
> I could fix this by rearranging the sentence, but I was interested in 
> the correct form.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>
>