It shouldn’t be a question, but some grammar unenthusiasts out there are trying to make it a legal one.
Last Thursday, Lindor Reynolds’ column in the Winnipeg Free Press attacked the misuse of apostrophes, and the backlash (as to be expected) was swift.
In the letters to the editor the following Saturday, a picture of the sign in front of St. Paul’s Square (note the unoffending apostrophe) was printed along with this caption:
“A sign in Birmingham, England, reflects a recent decision to ban apostrophes in street signs because they are considered confusing, old-fashioned and interfere with GPS systems.”
Interesting, I thought. Confusing? Only to those who’ve yet to master grammar. Old-fashioned? So is most of the English language – doesn’t mean we should ban it. Interferes with GPS? (note for the editors: putting ‘system’ after GPS is unnecessary. GPS means global positioning system.)
That last point stopped me. Maybe the Birmingham city council did have a valid argument after all.
Not so, a spokesperson for TomTom, a satellite navigation equipment manufacturer quoted by CBS News said:
If someone preferred to use a street name – with or without an apostrophe – punctuation wouldn't be an issue. By the time the first few letters of the street were entered, a list of matching choices would pop up and the user would choose the destination.
In other words, not only is the GPS excuse wrong, but if this so-called interference did – hypothetically – occur, it would be because of user error, ie. someone misusing the apostrophe in the name they’re trying to search.
The justification I’ve come across the most in researching this story is that this isn’t a cop out, it’s not our education system dumbing down, it’s the English language evolving. There’s a euphemism if I ever saw one.
However you want to say it, it all comes back to the human in the equation who doesn’t understand grammar. And that’s okay: grammar is a challenge – but that’s not a reason to give up.
Pick up a grammar book; go online; or take a class with Chris Petty – and get cracking.
P.S. For the record, our province isn’t immune to dropping apostrophes either: Birds Hill (named after Dr. Curtis Bird) should be Bird’s Hill.
Interesting! And I didn't know that about Birds Hill...
ReplyDeleteOh, I get so riled up when apostrophes aren't used properly or are simply left out. Really, it's not that hard to remember where it's supposed to be placed!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to open a real hornets' nest, check out the dispute over the title of the final novel in Stieg Larsson's trilogy. In North America it's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. In Europe it's Hornets' Nest. One hornet or many?
ReplyDelete@Duncan that's a good one! Larsson's trilogy is on my reading list this summer, so I'll find out for you. However, I think Europe may be right on this one: it takes more than one hornet to make a nest so logically speaking it should be "hornets' nest"!
ReplyDeleteUnless she kicked the nest of the hornet that had just stung her, in which case it would be "hornet's nest"!
ReplyDelete@Melanie LOL very true!
ReplyDelete