Word order, e.g. in "Hotel California", "Brothers Quay"


This is a question about the order of words when a common name is associated to a proper name. Does it matter to say "California Hotel" rather than "Hotel California"? Similarly, there are two filmmaker brothers usually referred to as "the brothers Quay", which seems less common than "the Coen brothers". As a non-native English speaker, I'm interested to know is there's any difference, and which form is more natural or correct.



Answer



All examples you mention are correct in their uses, especially since they're proper nouns (names of things/persons), and don't exactly follow "the rules."


In general, "the brothers Quay" and other similar "backward" constructions are considered archaic or out of fashion, more popular about 100 years ago or more. However, some may still choose to use these now unconventional constructions on purpose to achieve certain effects (i.e., make the name sound cooler).


In the case of "Hotel California", you should never say "California Hotel", since the former is the name of the song. That is to say, rather than looking for a concrete rule, you should determine the "correct" construction depending on the context. It really depends on who named the object/person. For example, "Ramada Inn" (a popular hotel chain) is never called the "Inn Ramada". Its name is Ramada Inn, and that's how it's always written.


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