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Adolf or Adolph?

Discussion in 'History Forum' started by Matt Black, Mar 8, 2005.

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  1. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    (Trite question, but then again, this forum seems rather devoid of threads at the moment ;) .)

    Why do Americans spell Hitler's first name 'Adolph' whilst we Brits (and I think everyone else in Europe) write 'Adolf'? Any ideas?

    Yours in Christ

    Matt

    [Edited for spelling and to ask the supplementary question: why can't this Brit spell at all? :rolleyes: ]
     
    #1 Matt Black, Mar 8, 2005
  2. P_Barnes

    P_Barnes New Member

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    Seems like I usually see it written as "Adolf". In this month's Armchair General it's spelled this way.

    One contributing factor might be the prominence of Adolph Busch's (as in Anheuser-Busch) family name here in the U.S.

    As I recall, several of Hitler's relatives (they changed their last name for some reason) settled and still live around Long Island.
     
    #2 P_Barnes, Mar 8, 2005
  3. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    Actually, I think "Adolph" is the French spelling :eek: Fries, anyone? :D

    Yours in Christ

    Matt
     
    #3 Matt Black, Mar 8, 2005
  4. Phillip

    Phillip <b>Moderator</b>

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    How is his name PRONOUNCED in German. If it is pronounced "Adolf" and then spelled that way to make the sounds, obviously two different spellings of the same thing came about.

    Just guessing.

    If it not pronounced "Adolf" in German, then please ignore this fabulously ignorant post.
     
    #4 Phillip, Mar 8, 2005
  5. MargoWriter

    MargoWriter New Member

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    I'm all for Adolf, as with all British spellings.

    (grey, honour, colour . . . ) [​IMG]

    (Tory at heart.)
     
    #5 MargoWriter, Mar 8, 2005
  6. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    I see it both ways on this side of the pond, Matt.

    As best as I can determine, Adolph is the anglicized version of the latinized Adolphus, which arrived in Britain in the mid-19th century.

    As to why one spelling is preferred, I don't have a clue. Just like I don't know why you insist on putting tyres on your auto.
     
    #6 rsr, Mar 8, 2005
  7. LadyEagle

    LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

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    And why, Matt, do you call them chips? Over here it's French Fries. (Oops! I mean Freedom Fries! :D )
     
    #7 LadyEagle, Mar 8, 2005
  8. MargoWriter

    MargoWriter New Member

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    La la la . . . Maybe he should be asking us why? (Which came first, the UK or the USA?) LOL

    God save the queen! (And her rather peculiar son . . .) :D
     
    #8 MargoWriter, Mar 8, 2005
  9. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    I suppose St Mary was also bothered when her kid was called "Jesus" by the Greeks.
     
    #9 billwald, Mar 8, 2005
  10. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    LE, because they are 'chipped' potatoes the way we do them - they tend to be potatoes sliced quite coarsely and then deep fried, hence they are bulkier than their French cousins. What you call 'chips', OTOH, we call 'crisps', becuase they are very thin slices of potato fried to a crisp.

    MargoWriter, you raise an interesting question for a sad pedant like me. The United Kingdom of Great Britain came into existence in 1707 with England and Scotland uniting, the changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, then to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1922, so on the one hand it predates the US (1776-8), OTOH in its present form, it post-dates the US; OTOH, the US has only existed in its present 50-state form since 1959...

    Yours in Christ (with a headache!)

    Matt
     
    #10 Matt Black, Mar 9, 2005
  11. MargoWriter

    MargoWriter New Member

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    Didn't mean to raise a chicken/egg question . . . Heh heh. But never mind. Lemme put it this way: which came first, the Eropean English dictionary or the American English dictionary?? :D

    But that's interesting. I tend to sit there and work through stuff in my mind like that and end up with a headahce myself. It's amusing and annoying at the same time.
     
    #11 MargoWriter, Mar 9, 2005
  12. LadyEagle

    LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

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    Chipped, eh? We call those hash browns, LOL. [​IMG]
     
    #12 LadyEagle, Mar 9, 2005
  13. MargoWriter

    MargoWriter New Member

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    Hmmmmm, no, there's a difference LadyE. Hashbrowns are more . . . hashed . . . and brown. LOL
     
    #13 MargoWriter, Mar 9, 2005
  14. Bro. James Reed

    Bro. James Reed New Member

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    Well, Adolf spelled it Adolf, so I've always spelled it Adolf. I figure he knew how to spell his own name.

    My cousins had a great Uncle from Czechoslovakia who spelled his name Adolph, so evidently Europeans aren't even in agreement on this. ;)
     
    #14 Bro. James Reed, Mar 9, 2005
  15. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    If he could've spelled his own name, it would have been Schickelgruber.
     
    #15 rsr, Mar 9, 2005
  16. Bro. James Reed

    Bro. James Reed New Member

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    Adolf was never known by the name Schickelgruber. His father had been using the surname of his step-father, Hiedler (Hitler), since 1877, 12 years before Adolf was born.

    In actuality, Schickelgruber should not have been Alois', Adolf's father, surname to begin with. It was the last name of his mother, but Alois was born out of wedlock and no father was written in his church records, so he was given the name Schickelgruber.

    The records were later altered, at the request of Alois, to read that Georg Hiedler was his birth father, rather than his stepfather.

    In any event, the Hitler that we all know and love :rolleyes: was not even born at the time, and had gone by the name Hitler for all of his life.

    There is the history lesson for the day, class. :D
     
    #16 Bro. James Reed, Mar 10, 2005
  17. MargoWriter

    MargoWriter New Member

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    Good stuff. I learned something anyway. [​IMG]
     
    #17 MargoWriter, Mar 10, 2005
  18. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    I started the thread because I noticed several posters on BB using 'Adolph' and I was curious as to why since the horrid man himself - and everyone else as far as I know - spelled it 'Adolf'. I'm still curious...

    (As an aside, I can assure you that I gave Mrs B a better honeymoon than Hitler gave Eva Braun... :D )

    Yours in Christ

    Matt
     
    #18 Matt Black, Mar 10, 2005
  19. Pete

    Pete New Member

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    ....

    I've always used the "Adolf" spelling...

    Although seeing the suggestion above by Bro. James Reed that ol 'Dolf knew how to spell his own name I have to wonder...I mean that was the same bloke that invaded Russia :eek: ;)
     
    #19 Pete, Mar 10, 2005
  20. MargoWriter

    MargoWriter New Member

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    He was a cute baby. [​IMG]
     
    #20 MargoWriter, Mar 10, 2005
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