St. Barth vs St. Barts?

[elgreaux]

me too...

 

[andynap]

To my wife it's Saint Baaaaaarrrrtttthhh

 

[KevinS]

St. Barth for me, perhaps forever. I'm a creature of habit

Likewise.

 

[cassidain]

Likewise.

But you're so close to the proper form, why not go the rest of the way? Saint-Barth(élemy)

Here's how the COM spells it: [h=1]Bienvenue sur le site de la Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy[/h]
[h=1][/h]

 

[tim]

When I wish to obfuscate in speech, I'll use the entire "Saint Barthélemy." I do that to try to avoid the inevitable questions about going to the island of the rich and famous, which is now almost universally known as "St. Barts." Sometimes it actually works.

 

[elgreaux]

That's the whole point, Hank's: the real name is Saint-Barthélemy so you shorten it asSaint-Barth (élemy)
no s, no apostrophe.... makes sense to me...

 

[JEK]

And a related topic - islanders are not St. Barthians, or St. Bartsians they are Saint-Barth.

 

[cassidain]

I agree, Ellen's. But there are two seperate dynamics in play.
1. How it is written properly in the francophone world.
2. And the other how it translates for anglophones.
Imho the two answers are
1. Saint-Barth
2. St. Bart's.

You are free to disagree. It's just my opinion.

 

[george]

So where can I get Saint-Barth sticker instead of this one?

 

[cassidain]

Well, the word French is not French nor are West Indies. So you see none of it is French.

 

[amyb]

Drug Store in St Jean. Not the pharmacy, the Drug Store on the corner of the shopping plaza..lots of great Avion product in the window and available there.

 

[george]

thanks Amy, the one above is from black swan...

 

[amyb]

Same shopping center, but a different store.

 

[YapperYapper]

You are all wrong. It's St Bartz with a 'z'

This is the interwebz. Learn the rulez!

 

[amyb]

funny!

 

[NHDiane]

Yapper...I just made note of that new version on another thread. Yet another way to speak of our favorite isle..cool.

 

[stbartshopper]

My father in law has the last name of Wood. Many people call him Dick Woods. As much as we try to tell them the name is Wood, it is Woods they continue to call my in laws. Why is that?

 

[elgreaux]

And a related topic - islanders are not St. Barthians, or St. Bartsians they are Saint-Barth.

actually they are Saint Barthélemois (male) or Saint Barthélemois(es) (female) but again it has been shortened to "les Saint-Barth"

 

[Islander]

You are all wrong. It's St Bartz with a 'z'

This is the interwebz. Learn the rulez!

There is not such a thing as the interwebz in St Barthélemy.

Just to finish up on this topic. I think we all agree on this more or less.

When I speak or write in French, I use "St Barth".
When I speak or write in English (or try to), I use "St Barths" or "St Barts".

In my book both are correct, not in a strict literary way, but definitely because it's "common usage". Who cares about the rules? We're not all writers, are we?

I honestly find it a little ridiculous when locals use "St Barths" (insisting on the "s") in the French language (a rare event if not non-existent), or alternatively when Americans use "St Barth" (no "s") in English (also rare). Both sound really weird.

As the French Academy says, the dictionary is not right, the street is right when it comes to new words being implemented in the language. And there is not a more traditional institution than the French Academy!

So let it go.

 

[AParks]

St. Barth or St. Barts

Forum members have asked whether our screen name is Shopper or Hopper. We intended Shopper.
The question brings another one up for us for some enlightenment.
It seems to us the correct shortening of the island name should be St. Barth but we hear most people say St. Barts- hence the question Shopper vs. Hopper. The free dictionary.com and yourdictionary.com call it St. Barts.
How did it become St. Barts instead of St. Barth in most or many peoples' vernacular? Barth sounds- we don't know- maybe more elegant or more French shall we say. Barts reminds us of maybe the Simpsons (Bart Starr) but we realize the term goes way back before this television program existed.
Bye the way the web defines Barthelemy as follows- 'Barthélemy, a young man from France, was part of René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle's final expedition in 1687. Barthélemy's rather dubious claim to a place in written history occurred after the murder of La Salle on the Trinity River in present day Texas. ...
There probably is no explanation but it might get some funny speculations. :watermelon:

Hello Everyone: I joined this forum/website in preparation for my first trip to the island in June. My husband and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

During my research, I read that 'old money' individuals call the island 'St. Barth' but 'new money' individuals say St. Barts!