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    Plural's

    17­ Replies
    Topic

    Plural's

    Comment
    Hi, I am an American living in Ireland and I have noticed some time ago that my boss writes all the plurals with an apostrophe. Now, where I come from this is considered semi-illiterate. But meanwhile I have come to the conclusion that this must be some kind of Irish peculiarity as my boss seems to be not the only one writing like this. Matter of fact the majority of the Irish seem to see this as an acceptable form.
    Anybody here who has some information on this oddity?
    AuthorDub05 Oct 09, 18:49
    Comment
    I'd class it as illiterate, rather than just semi-illiterate. Nor is it a peculiarity I've come across much in Ireland.
    #1Author Richard (236495) 05 Oct 09, 19:31
    Comment
    I'd call it semi since there are no additional misspellings:)

    But I must say again that I have never seen so many people write like this before I came to Ireland. Matter of fact I have never seen this spelling in the States. Maybe once or twice in Chinatown or Little Tokyo. But it is abundant in this country. You see it almost everywhere.
    BTW, the Irish school system does not have the best reputation either.
    #2AuthorDub05 Oct 09, 19:48
    Comment
    Re #0: "Matter of fact the majority of the Irish seem to see this as an acceptable form."

    You've asked most of them then?
    #3AuthorKinkyAfro (587241) 06 Oct 09, 12:29
    Comment
    Dubya, you don't come from Pittsburgh, right? http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aR7uIk5VS2Y/R_e62yL...
    For more American illiteracy see http://www.apostropheabuse.com/
    #4Author CM2DD (236324) 06 Oct 09, 12:36
    Comment
    @CM2DD

    It's not a mud-slinging exercise about which nation has the most illiterates, just a question of whether that particular use of apostrophe's (spot the deliberate mistake there?) is deemed correct in Ireland (no it isn't)
    #5Author Richard (236495) 06 Oct 09, 12:55
    Comment
    #5 And I'm not trying to sling mud, just to prove Dub wrong when he claims that people don't do it in the States.
    #6Author CM2DD (236324) 06 Oct 09, 12:58
    Comment
    Fair enough
    #7Author Richard (236495) 06 Oct 09, 13:07
    Comment
    Commonly known as the 'Greengrocer's apostrophe'

    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greengrocer's_a...

    #8AuthorSP06 Oct 09, 13:09
    Comment
    Als "Deppenapostroph" in Deutschland vor allem zur Kennzeichnung des Genitiv's sehr beliebt...
    #9AuthorKarl06 Oct 09, 13:14
    Comment
    Re #0: "Matter of fact the majority of the Irish seem to see this as an acceptable form."

    You've asked most of them then?

    The referendum on the European Union included a supplementary question concerning institutionalisation of the greengrocer's apostrophe. They voted 'yes' this time round.
    #10AuthorBeethoven06 Oct 09, 13:39
    Comment
    @10

    Not to worry, Beethoven, we can always have another referendum if we don't like the result... ;)
    #11Author Richard (236495) 06 Oct 09, 13:45
    Comment
    LOL @ #10 + #11 :-)
    #12AuthorKinkyAfro (587241) 06 Oct 09, 13:48
    Comment
    Sure I didn't ask most of them...no time for that:)
    But half of my 12 or so co-workers do write their plurals this way. You also see it in stores and pubs (beer's) on a very regular basis (daily). So it is a lot more common here than in the States (btw, my co-workers are otherwise very bright - it is just this awkward spelling.

    #13AuthorDub06 Oct 09, 17:23
    Comment
    In July 1981 a peddler in London put up a stall with the sign "ROYAL WEDDING - SOUVENIR PEN'S". The apostrophe was rather long, so it almost looked like an "I".
    #14AuthorBeethoven06 Oct 09, 17:48
    Comment
    Backshop - Sonntag's geöffnet!
    #15AuthorLolo unplugged07 Oct 09, 12:24
    Comment
    Der Forwardshop hingegen hat S'onntags geschlossen...
    #16Author Richard (236495) 07 Oct 09, 12:52
    Comment
    Back in 1981, the *beep* of HRH The Prince of Wales was rather long as well, it almost looked like an "I".

    Nowadays, I'm sorry to say, it looks more like an "'".
    #17AuthorCamilla Parker Bowles07 Oct 09, 13:23
     
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