Are the set of Dutch tussenvoegsels finite?

Question

I'm wondering if there is a finite set of tussenvoegsels. If so can someone please point me to the list? For example in the name Alice van Herk, the tussenvoegsel van. Wikipedia lists common tussenvoegsels but not all of them. I'm wondering if there is a rule to allow me to parse out the tussenvoegsel. Thank you!

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 21 '18 at 15:32

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The Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens (RVIG) maintains "table 36" with tussenvoegsels (they call them voorvoegsels): https://publicaties.rvig.nl/Landelijke_tabellen/Landelijke_tabellen_32_t_m_60_excl_tabel_35/Landelijke_Tabellen_32_t_m_60_in_pdf_formaat

I found this on the Dutch Wikipedia page, perhaps you were looking at the English one?

If you want to parse tussenvoegsels, it's probably easiest and most accurate to do it with a dictionary of the list.

answered Aug 21 '18 at 15:32

Keelan

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Thank you! Yes I was looking at the English version. – work_account Aug 21 '18 at 20:09
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Note that the list not only contains native Dutch voorvoegsels, but also German, French, Italian, and Spanish ones. – Sir Cornflakes Aug 24 '18 at 14:23

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 22 '18 at 00:44

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Ja, ze zijn beperkt. Meest tussenvoegsels zijn lidwoorden en voorzetsels. (Yes, they are finite. Most tussenvoegsels(tussen = between + voeg =insert, add) are articles and prepositions describing the link between the first name and the last name. Examample: Jaap van Hoofd(Jaap of Head) Monique de Jong(Monique the Young)

Here is a list of 333: https://www.vernoeming.nl/alle-333-voorvoegsels-tussenvoegsels-in-nederlandse-achternamen

answered Aug 22 '18 at 00:44

Sylomun Weah

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Since tussenvoegsels are, as the whole last name, passed from parents to children, they don't show any link between the first and the last name. This was only true when last names started to be used. Similarly, someone called Bakker does not need to work in a bakery. – Keelan Aug 22 '18 at 05:45
Hans de Boer( Hans the Farmer) is not a farmer, he most likely got that name because his ancestors were farmers. You cannot say "Hans het Boer", because Boer is masculine and not neuter. Those 'articles' and 'prepositions' certainly show a link. – Sylomun Weah Aug 22 '18 at 09:52
There is no link between "Hans" and "de Boer" in the sense that the latter gives any information about the former. You are correct that there are syntactic rules, but you are not correct that "most tussenvoegsels (...) [describe] the link between the first name and the last name". – Keelan Aug 22 '18 at 10:06
You said that it did not show any link. The Farmer.. who is the Farmer? Frank is the Farmer. = Frank de Boer. In my world I see a link. – Sylomun Weah Aug 22 '18 at 10:31
So in your world, all children take over the profession of their father and never move away from their birth town? All children of Mr. Visser will be fishermen, and all children of Mr. Van Tiel will live in Tiel the rest of their lives? – Keelan Aug 23 '18 at 10:28
Sorry, that you don't understand. I'm only trying to show you how that kind of name giving came about. Another kind of name name giving comes from the Scandinavians. They have a suffix -sen, -son attached to the last name and it means 'son of'. So, a girl gets her father's last name. Are you going to argue that she's not a son? ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_family_name_etymology ) – Sylomun Weah Aug 23 '18 at 15:29
Your suggestion that the tussenvoegsel links the first and last name of people currently alive is incorrect. You can [edit] your post to make it clear that this was how tussenvoegsels started to be used but that they do not have this function any more because people typically don't choose their last name. – Keelan Aug 23 '18 at 15:30
You just don't get it. The link was already established, when those names were coined. Some of them are even prepositional phrases, like Janny van de Dood(Janny of the Death). – Sylomun Weah Aug 23 '18 at 15:36
There is no link here, there is no tussenvoegsel. It's like George Bush. – Sylomun Weah Aug 23 '18 at 16:16
So explain how there is a link between the first and last name of Hans de Visser if he is alive now? – Keelan Aug 23 '18 at 16:59
Ivan the Terrible vs. Ivan Terrible, is there a difference? The definite article changes everything. – Sylomun Weah Aug 23 '18 at 20:44
You did not answer my question. – Keelan Aug 23 '18 at 20:44
Why did you change your question? (Hans Visser) – Sylomun Weah Aug 23 '18 at 20:51
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This is is the same list as given in Keelan's answer: https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/a/28695 – for the purpose of a scientific quotation, the link given by Keelan is preferable to this blog entry. – Sir Cornflakes Aug 24 '18 at 16:10
For the purpose of grammar, one "is" is enough. – Sylomun Weah Aug 27 '18 at 05:17

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 23 '18 at 18:19

Yes, finite set of voorvoegsels in names, allright, with some mini-syntactic structure, which forms a potentially infinite set of complex names: 1) 'van' is a common prepositional voorvoegsel in names, e.g. Jan van Putten, means from or of. 2) ' van der' is another common, composed one, e.g. Johanna van der Sluis, here 'der' is genitive case - yes, good old case remnant in Dutch - and the preposition 'van' must precede 'der', as *'der van' would be ungrammatical. 3) 'ter' is less common simple case inflected one, meaning to or towards, directional dative, I guess (not much of a case expert) 4) there are rather more complex compositions in often blue blood names, like 'van Heerdt tot Eversberg' ('tot' means to as in limit), and 'van Tuyll van Serooskerken' or ones with French names like in 'Collot d'Escury' or 'd'Aulnis de Bourouill' - some are believed to date back to the 15th century, but it was Napoleon in 1811 who required everyone to have a last, family name. Lots of records of names on Wikipedia...

Are the set of Dutch tussenvoegsels finite?

3 Answers3