# Talk:SMS Cormoran (1892)

Why is this Cormoran spelled with a C and the other German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran with a K ? Lathamibird (talk) 02:03, 8 December 2014 (UTC)

Because the name derives from the French word. The spelling changed at the end of the 19th century, when German nationalism tried to purge foreign influences, French in particular. C followed by a vocal thus became K, e.g. "Cöln" (Cologne) became "Köln". ÄDA - DÄP VA (talk) 05:23, 8 December 2014 (UTC)
The changes were somewhat more gradual - for instance, you have SMS Cöln (1909) and SMS Cöln (1916) but German cruiser Köln (the "C" spelling was abolished in 1919). In this case, SMS Cormoran (1909) also retained the earlier spelling. Much of the purging was done in the heightened Francophobic atmosphere after the Great War. Parsecboy (talk) 13:32, 8 December 2014 (UTC)