[mb-users] Sortingorder Dutch tussenvoegsel (nobiliary particle)

[Sander van Zoest]

On Sun, Apr 20, 2008 at 12:43:06AM +0200, Fred Marchee wrote:
> Don't forget that we are talking about the Dutch language. In German 
> "von" means that your great, great, great, great greatgrand parents 
> probably stole a lot of money from the poor. I Holland the 
> "tussenvoegsel" is often the result a guy called Napoleon (round 1800) 

Doesn't matter really. The concept is the same. If we are going to get
more picky about this then you would have to manage DeBoer and de Boer differently, and depending on the language of origin, sort appropriately as well.
Capitalization would differ as well depending on the country of origin.

> So the tussenvoegsel 'van' doesn't make you royal, sorry Sander ;-),  

I wasn't implying anything of the sort. :) I was merely stating that
a tussenvoegsel is referred to
> It's only that your great, great, great, great, great grandparents came 
> from Soest, a place in the centre of Holland surround by castles and 
> other rich guys stealing from the poor.
> 
> In German it's a little bit different and is 'von' a noble title (not 
> always by the way) and when you stole enough from the poor you could 
> earn a 'von' in you name but translated the 'von' means that you were 
> property or came from so von Bayern means that you had something to do 
> with Bayern. The "real" nobles shorten 'von' to v. So Sander von Zoest 
> could be but Sander v. Zoest IS of blue-blood. (sorted as Zoest, Sander 
> van by the way;-) )

Zoest, Sander van has nothing to do with sorting. Sorting is the concept
of organizing a group of things. You can not sort a single item. :)
You can display it in a list with the nobiliary particle last, but that
does not imply any particular method of sorting. 

In the same sense that if you would list it last name, first name, it would
be "Van Zoest, Sander". Notice the capital "V".

For a whole thread (in dutch) on this topic in relation to genealogy see
<http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-BENELUX/1999-07/0931116619>

- Sander