Upgrade StoragePrefix in Dutch and German family names
A name with a prefix is for example: Henk van den Belt. Henk is the first name, ‘van den Belt’ is the family name, of which ‘van den’ is a prefix. Another example is Wim van Vlastuin. Wim is the first name, ‘van Vlastuin’ the family name, of which ‘van’ is a prefix. As prefixes in family names are typical for Dutch and German, but not for English, neither the Chicago Manual nor Turabian offer a solution for it.
I've found earlier posts on this subject, on which the answer was that Zotero handles it according to Chicago. But the problem is, Chicago does not adress this at all. For Dutch and German imigrants with a prefix are handled by Americans as if the prefix determines the place of a name in alphabetical order. But the rules in Dutch and German should be obeyed in Dutch and German texts, not the American rules, even though Chicago is use as a style sheet for footnotes and bibliography. Moreover, Dutch and German authors prefer to be mentioned according to their own language rules in English texts.
The rules in Dutch and German are complex, yet clear.
When the complete name is given, the prefix has a lower case:
Henk van den Belt
Klaas Willem de Jong
Wim van Vlastuin
Adolph von Harnack
When only the family name is given, without the first name, the prefix has an upper case:
Van den Belt
De Jong
Van Vlastuin
Von Harnack
When family names are put in alphabetical order, the prefix does not count as the first part of the family name, but is put after the first name:
Belt, Henk van den
Jong, Klaas Willem de
Vlastuin, Wim van
Harnack, Adolph von
In order to get the bibliography right, one should insert it this way in Zotero: the prefix after the first name.
Belt, Henk van den, K. W. de Jong, and W. van Vlastuin, red. A Landmark in Turbulent Times: The Meaning and Relevance of the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619). Refo500 Academic Studies, volume 84. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2022.
But then the name appears incorrectly in the short title subsequent footnote, see below note 2:
Note 1 Henk van den Belt, K. W. de Jong, en W. van Vlastuin, red., A Landmark in Turbulent Times: The Meaning and Relevance of the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619), Refo500 Academic Studies, volume 84 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2022).
Note 2 Belt, Jong, and Vlastuin, A Landmark in Turbulent Times.
In note 2 it should appear as:
Van den Belt, de Jong and Van Vlastuin
When the family name is completely put in one box, then other problems appear. 1. Then the first time a book is mentiones, the prefix gets an upper class (Henk Van den Belt etc.) and the bibliography has a wrong order (Van den Belt is put among the V’s in stead of among the B’s).
Zotero needs an extra field for a prefix in the author’s name, and a script which
- places the prefix in lower case behind the first name or initials in the first note
- places the prefix with a capital before the last name in the short title subsequent notes
- places the prefix in lower case behind the first name or initials in the bibliography
I hope someone will be able to solve this problem for Dutch and German authors (and maybe also authors from other countries).
I've found earlier posts on this subject, on which the answer was that Zotero handles it according to Chicago. But the problem is, Chicago does not adress this at all. For Dutch and German imigrants with a prefix are handled by Americans as if the prefix determines the place of a name in alphabetical order. But the rules in Dutch and German should be obeyed in Dutch and German texts, not the American rules, even though Chicago is use as a style sheet for footnotes and bibliography. Moreover, Dutch and German authors prefer to be mentioned according to their own language rules in English texts.
The rules in Dutch and German are complex, yet clear.
When the complete name is given, the prefix has a lower case:
Henk van den Belt
Klaas Willem de Jong
Wim van Vlastuin
Adolph von Harnack
When only the family name is given, without the first name, the prefix has an upper case:
Van den Belt
De Jong
Van Vlastuin
Von Harnack
When family names are put in alphabetical order, the prefix does not count as the first part of the family name, but is put after the first name:
Belt, Henk van den
Jong, Klaas Willem de
Vlastuin, Wim van
Harnack, Adolph von
In order to get the bibliography right, one should insert it this way in Zotero: the prefix after the first name.
Belt, Henk van den, K. W. de Jong, and W. van Vlastuin, red. A Landmark in Turbulent Times: The Meaning and Relevance of the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619). Refo500 Academic Studies, volume 84. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2022.
But then the name appears incorrectly in the short title subsequent footnote, see below note 2:
Note 1 Henk van den Belt, K. W. de Jong, en W. van Vlastuin, red., A Landmark in Turbulent Times: The Meaning and Relevance of the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619), Refo500 Academic Studies, volume 84 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2022).
Note 2 Belt, Jong, and Vlastuin, A Landmark in Turbulent Times.
In note 2 it should appear as:
Van den Belt, de Jong and Van Vlastuin
When the family name is completely put in one box, then other problems appear. 1. Then the first time a book is mentiones, the prefix gets an upper class (Henk Van den Belt etc.) and the bibliography has a wrong order (Van den Belt is put among the V’s in stead of among the B’s).
Zotero needs an extra field for a prefix in the author’s name, and a script which
- places the prefix in lower case behind the first name or initials in the first note
- places the prefix with a capital before the last name in the short title subsequent notes
- places the prefix in lower case behind the first name or initials in the bibliography
I hope someone will be able to solve this problem for Dutch and German authors (and maybe also authors from other countries).