I have asked Grok with this prompt:
"A video game database has naming rules for items. One of the rules is that if a particular video game has an "edition" name then the name used in the database must be printed on the packaging. The site is English based, however it covers releases from other countries. It will use the actual text from the packaging and not a translation. One particular item is a game from France, which does not actually state the edition name per se. On the back, it has the following text: "CONTENU DE L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE"
There are two arguments as for what the edition name should be input into the database. One says it should be "L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" because that is what the text on the back says, however the other argument is that it should be "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" because the text on the back is referring to the contents and the L' portion is improper usage outside of the sentence it is in. Which of these arguments is correct?"
and here is the response:
"To determine the correct edition name for the database based on the given rules, we need to focus on the exact text printed on the packaging and how it aligns with the naming convention. The rule states that the name used in the database "must be printed on the packaging" and should not be a translation, as the site is English-based but uses the actual text from the packaging.
The text on the back of the French game’s packaging reads: "CONTENU DE L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE." Translated, this means "Contents of the Special Edition," but the database rule emphasizes using the literal text, not a translation. The question is which part of this phrase—or which variation—qualifies as the "edition name" as it appears on the packaging.
Argument 1: "L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE"
This argument suggests including the article "L'" (a contraction of "le," meaning "the") along with "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" because it appears as part of the full phrase "CONTENU DE L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE." However, "L'" is a grammatical article tied to the sentence structure, not necessarily part of the edition name itself. The packaging does not explicitly isolate "L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" as a standalone title; it’s embedded in a descriptive phrase about the contents.
Argument 2: "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE"
This argument posits that "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" alone is the edition name, as "L'" is a definite article that functions within the sentence "CONTENU DE L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" but isn’t essential to the name of the edition. In French, edition names often omit articles when formalized (e.g., "Édition Collector" vs. "L'Édition Collector"), and the core identifier here is "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" (Special Edition). The reasoning is that "CONTENU DE" (contents of) indicates what follows is the edition being described, and "L'" is incidental to that description.
Given the database rule to use the "actual text from the packaging" for the edition name, we must consider what constitutes the "edition name" as printed. The full phrase "CONTENU DE L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" is about the contents, not a standalone title. Nowhere on the packaging (based on the provided information) does it explicitly say "L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" or "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" as a isolated name. However, in video game naming conventions, the edition is typically the descriptive part after any articles or prepositions, especially when derived from a phrase like this.
In French, articles like "L'" are often dropped when formalizing titles or names unless explicitly included on the packaging as part of the branding (e.g., on the front cover). Since the text "CONTENU DE L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE" is from the back and describes contents, the most logical edition name, consistent with the spirit of the rule, is the core identifier: "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE." This aligns with how edition names are typically extracted from packaging text—focusing on the specific edition descriptor rather than grammatical particles tied to sentence context.
Thus, the second argument is correct. The edition name should be entered into the database as "ÉDITION SPÉCIALE", as it reflects the actual edition being referred to on the packaging, stripped of the sentence-specific article "L'.""
