Ilu ojców mają odkrycia naukowe? O pisowni nazwisk złożonych
How many fathers do scientific discoveries have? About the notation of compound surnames

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents the problem of the notation of compound surnames in Polish where the issue of twofold (multiple) interpretation occurs. According to the rule 185 of WSO the notation with a hyphen is the only correct one – no matter how many people we refer to. This rule turns out to be non-functional, because based on the notation of "the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis" no one is able to tell whether the statement is about one person or two different people. The author puts emphasis on the distinctive functions of the hyphen and the en dash. The following solution is proposed: the en dash – preferably with spaces around it – should be used in the notation of surnames when it comes to different people (as a delimiter between surnames belonging to different people), while the hyphen should be used for indicating a double-barrelled surname belonging to one person. Then the notation of "the Sapir – Whorf hypothesis" is unambiguous with respect to the number of people involved.

• Details
• Contents