Plural for Pfalz

What is the plural for Pfalz?


cam

[Gregvan]

Hi Cam,

Good question, since we've already discuused the plural of Albatros !! I'd like to think that "Pfalz" is one of those words that is both singular and plural at the same time, like 'sheep' or 'deer'. However, hopefully one of our German members will answer this authoritatively.

When I'm writing of this topic, I usually choose the easy but lengthy solution of saying something like "Pfalz fighters" or "Pfalz aircraft".

Comments, anyone ?

Greg VanWyngarden

[AchimEngels]

Greg,

As with the "Albatrosses" *;D I agree with you on that!

Achim

[Vin]

In English, nouns that end in s, h, x z, o, f and y denote their plural by adding “es” . *Nouns ending in the other letters commonly add “s”.

buzz, buzzes
fizz, fizzes

The complication is words that are foreign

blitz, blitzes or blitz ?

In determining the plural of German words as the RFC and AFC blokes might have have used them, you can look to German Expression or English Expression. *The last time I tried the former, my Latin, and, by implication, that of Brothers Daniel, Campian (Slug), Krispin (Killer), Phelan (Bob), Felix and Ludovic (can’t his nickname although he was the best teacher I ever ran into, any level and on either side of the chalk) was criticised. *So, Hooroo Gregvan and Achim, I’m hopping off the fence. *No more splinters for me. *German Expression be blowed, this time, I’m opting for English Expression. *The answer, Cam, is

Pfalzes


Cheers

Vin

P.S. *I'll bet you can't respond to this in 10 minutes, Achim

Is that like fartz and fartzes?

I think there are at least two answers to the original question.

First, there is a plural for the german word "Pfalz". Correctly answered, this would actually be "Pfalzen".

However, it is highly questionable whether the Pfalz aircraft (for example: 2 D IIIa´s) could be called "Pfalzen". The problem lies in the origin of the aircraft designation.

First, what is a "Pfalz"? That´s quite clear: The word derives from the althochdeutsch ("old high German") word Phalanza, itself derived from the latin "Palatium": This describes a building build on royal/imperial property/ground. Wheras one "development" of that word would be Palais/Palast/Palace (describing a royal residence), "Phalanza" described a building used by royalities for traveling - a kind of "Imperial Motel". The plural of these complexes would be "Pfalzen" (typically, you would describe "Pfalzen und Burgen" - "Resting Palaces and Castles").

However, the company name of "Pfalz Flugzeugwerke" derived from the location it was situated - Speyer am Rhein is in the old German state Pfalz (more correctly Rheinpfalz or Kurpfalz") This name also has an origin in the Palace version: In german nobility, there was the title of a "Pfalzgraf" ("Palace Count"), actually describing the function (in it´s later development) of a nobleman acting as a royal judge and also basically the deputy of the King/Emperor (that is a very rough, not 100 % correct description). A lot of german royalties had such nobleman, and the one who got the highest influence was the "Pfalzgraf of Lothringen" (palace Count of Lorraine), who actually did NOT reside in Lorraine, but in the Aachen/Lower Rhine area. Moving their possessions south in the first century of the last millenium, these guys then settled in the area roughly between the German Rhine river valley and the Alsace and Lorraine areas, with the patch of land becoming the "Kurpfalz" or "Pfalz" (also being the area where I was born, near to the US airbase at Ramstein). This then became a part of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and when the Eversbusch brothers and their partners founded the "Pfalz Flugzeugwerke" they used the name of this German state (and therefore NOT the original meaning of the word) for their company. Now as there is only one STATE "Pfalz", it can be argued that there is no plural when describing Pfalz aircraft...

The conclusion? None IMHO. Use Pfalz, Pfalzen or the English "Pfalzes" - you can always argue you´re right...

Volker

[VonHelton]

What is the plural for Pfalz?


cam

Pfalzen!

[Craig]

And in French?

[VonHelton]

And in French?

ACHOO!

Pfalz in French is Achoo? that stinks.

I'm soorry. 2 bad posts.

But why a plural...Wouldn't the plural be after the model no.? Fokker DVII's Not Fokkers DVII.?????