 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-02-02 14:31
Attachment: marigaux 001.JPG (797k)
While turning other maker's names into plurals is dead easy (Lorees, Howarths, Buffets, Rigoutats, Yamahas, Fossatis, Dupins, etc.), we can say Marigaux as a plual easily enough in conversation (as in 'three Marri-goes'), but how should it be spelt?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2012-02-02 14:56
I don't have an answer to your question; though I pose another one.
Spelled vs. spelt
"In American and Canadian English, spelt means exclusively a hardy wheat grown mostly in Europe, and the verb spell makes spelled in its past-tense and past-participle forms. In British and Australian English, spell is inflected spelt about as often as spelled. As far as we can tell, British and Australian writers use spelled and spelt interchangeably."
from:
http://www.grammarist.com/spelling/spelled-spelt/
Mark
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2012-02-02 15:22
This is sort of a conundrum, isn't it!
The word in question, Marigaux, is actually the surname of one of the founders of the company (Strasser, Marigaux, Lemaire). And it is French.
My limited understanding of French suggests that, when the singular form of the word ends in an -x, there is simply NO CHANGE in the plural. So one Marigaux oboe is "My Marigaux," and two are "My Marigaux."
If you just HAVE to make it sound like a regular English plural, maybe it should be "Marigauxes" ?
Robin Tropper! You speak French! What do you say?
Susan
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Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2012-02-02 15:23
Chris, in answer to your question, in the past I have written simply '3 Marigaux', kind of like 1 sheep, 2 sheep. I'm sure it's not correct according to its native language, but it looks OK! I have seen Marigauxes written down, though.
Mark, this may change depending on who you talk to, but as an Australian of British descent (does that cover the bases? :P ) we often use 'spelt' when talking, but never once have I written 'spelt', I always write spelled. I have seen 'spelt' in old grammar and spelling books (my mum is an early childhood teacher, so had plenty of them lying around!) but I think it is waning.
The one that amuses me (sorry, totally not oboe related!) is words such as 'centre' - Australians (and British) pronounce it closer to the American spelling ('center', not much 'r'), whereas Americans tend to say it like we spell it ('centre', lots of 'r', not much vowel).
Language fascinates me, and it sometimes distresses me that I don't know more about its roots.
Rachel
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Author: kimber
Date: 2012-02-02 16:29
The problem is you are dropping the actual noun and trying to pluralize the brand name....but a brand name isn't a physical object that can be quantified. So...the sentence should be...I have one Loree oboe vs. I have three Loree oboes. The brand name doesn't change. Whether you drop the assumed noun (oboe) or include it in the sentence, the brand name doesn't get modified.
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Author: oboemoboe
Date: 2012-02-02 16:47
Hi BBoarders!
Francophone oboist here. We don't pluralize names in french (just another one of those crazy rules...).
So, in english, if you were speaking about the Lorée family (let's stick to names we know!), you would say: "I'm going over to the Lorées for lunch".
In french, the surname is invariable. "Je vais dîner chez les Lorée".
So to answer to Chris P's question, my guess would be "Marigaux".
Bonne journée!
O.
Post Edited (2012-02-02 16:59)
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Author: johnt
Date: 2012-02-02 17:43
Lo mismo en español…((-;
Buen provecho,
juan (aka john)
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Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2012-02-02 18:01
Wouldn't it be nice to say, "Oh, and my Marigaux..." and actually be talking about more than one Marigaux that you own! :D
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Author: ceri
Date: 2012-02-02 21:09
I think this is a question were knowing French doesn't really help.
To add to Oboemoboe's answer:
The reason you don't pluralise surnames in French is because the plural is indicated by the definite article which has a plural form. "Je vais voir les Lorée."
English pluralises surnames because the definite article doesn't have a plural form: "I'm going to see the Lorées."
It is also true that words that end in -x don't change when they are in the plural in French (for example un lynx, des lynx).
But in English words that end with -x have a plural form by adding -es (box, boxes).
So if I was talking in French I would say "dans mes rêves, j'ai 3 Marigaux" but in English I would want to add an -s at the end of the word. I suppose if I was forced to write it down, the best solution would probably be Marigauxes which looks odd but respects English spelling rules.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-02-02 22:02
It's the silent X that makes pluralising Marigaux a tricky one - not like foxes, boxes, hoaxes or Twixes - if the X was pronounced then it would be straightforward as those examples when written.
But only two of the three Marigaux oboes (playing safe there) pictured are mine - the cor and d'amore are, but the oboe isn't and is one I finished overhauling at the weekend.
While I had all three in one place I thought it would be nice to photograph the main members of the 900 series family (although a musette and bass would be good to complete the set), but no matter how hard I tried my poxy digital camera just didn't want to focus on them!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: plclemo
Date: 2012-02-03 01:36
Marigaux - as a native of New Orleans who had to take French in elementary school, if I remember correctly words that end in "x" can be both singular and plural
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Author: blueoboe
Date: 2012-02-03 05:30
@oboemoboe and ceri; very good explanation there,concerning the plural of that french oboe manufacturer. But...., that name actually never crosses my mind, let alone dream about having more than one of them! Simply because I play a .... DUPIN !
Cheers
blueoboe
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Author: kimber
Date: 2012-02-03 19:06
Brand names are proper adjectives (as in, "Kleenex facial tissues.") Adjectives are not pluralized, only nouns. 'Dead easy' or not doesn't make it correct English.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-02-03 22:02
While it may not be correct English, it's done all the time with brand names when people mention them in quantities - Fords, Volkswagens, Mitsubishis, Hondas, Volvos, MGs, Rolls-Royces, Blaupunkts, Sonys, Hewlett-Packards, Apples, Hoovers, Electroluxes, Kenwoods, Cokes, Burger Kings, ...
Debbie Harry said the line "You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too, Mercurys and Subarus" in the Blondie hit 'Rapture'.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2012-02-03 22:04)
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2012-02-03 23:36
Chris P, I went looking for the "Like" button when I read your post.
Are you on Facebook?
Susan
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Author: kimber
Date: 2012-02-05 20:52
Chris...Nobody here would say "I have three Burger Kings."
"...my three Marigaux" is all you need to say. Short and sweet.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2012-02-05 21:16
kimber wrote:
> Chris...Nobody here would say "I have three Burger Kings."
No, we'd say we have 3 Whoppers®
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-02-05 21:38
But you would say "How many Burger Kings are there on the Isle of Wight?"
The answer is none - the nearest one is in Portsmouth, so the likelyhood of getting three Double Whoppers with cheese there is zilch. It'll mean getting a ferry or hovercraft from Ryde to Portsmouth.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2012-02-05 21:50)
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-02-06 01:44
It's SO nice to know that our Webmaster follows these threads, isn't it??
GoodWinds
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Author: JRC
Date: 2012-02-07 06:42
Actually I do not care how one spells a multiple Marigaux instruments. But I would love to have a set in my collection. Depending on how they respond to my playing, I may or may not have any one of them as my primarypy. But they are so beautiful to look at.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-02-07 17:53
me too:
I'll take any donations, having sold my Marigaux in 1996.
GoodWinds
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-02-08 13:37
Attachment: marigaux901 001.JPG (797k)
Attached is a better quality photo of the 901 oboe on its own.
I found the before photo of it as well, so you can compare what it looked like before I overhauled it and what it looks like now. Hope it goes to a good home!
Before pic: http://www.howarth.uk.com/wo/manuals/2hoboes/OB1653.JPG
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2012-02-08 13:44)
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