[WikiEN-l] English names

Thu Jan 22 00:42:42 UTC 2004

Charles Matthews wrote:

>Ed Poor wrote
>  
>
>>Gdansk doesn't "have an English name". It has an
>>    
>>
>official Polish name, and it has also had a German
>name.
>
>Can't agree with that.  It was always called Dantzig in the past.  From the
>Lech Walesa/Solidarity period onwards it was called Gdansk very prominently.
>That's what we call it now.
>  
>
Yes, but using Gdansk exclusively is sometimes a bit confusing in 
historical context, especially when dealing with Germans (such as Arthur 
Schopenhauer) who were from what they (and English-speakers at the time) 
called "Danzig", since it is often referred to as Danzig in contemporary 
historical works as well (modern biographies of Schopenhauer, for 
example).  I think we should just say something like "German philosopher 
from from Danzig (present-day Gdansk, Poland)", possibly with alternate 
wording.

-Mark