Defending the apostrophe | Seth’s Blog

Does it need defending?

The sign on some bushes near a park in my town says, Beware: Bee’s.

A local merchant adds a note to some receipts that says, Your awesome.

It’s tempting to speak up and point out that the sky comma is showing up where it shouldn’t. And missing when it might be helpful.

But language shifts, changing over time, and as we become ever more post-literate, it’s not hard to imagine that the apostrophe’s assigned role is ending. Greengrocers and others with pens have taken possession.

Sometimes, people throw in an extra apostrophe to sound smart. And sometimes, they simply give up because it’s not worth the trouble to figure out when or when not to use one.

Pedants will always pedant and try to defend the language, but the language changes whether we want it to or not.

This cycle of the informal becoming formal, then a badge of honor and then fading away has always been with us. It’s only going to accelerate, one more shift due to technology.

PS so far, it seems like AI is really good with apostrophes.

August 17, 2023