Thread: Its a catastrophe for the apostrophe in Britain

Originally Posted by sycld

Yes, and the destruction of the English language by Internet-speak is also ruining people's ability to express themselves clearly and precisely, and consequently their ability to think clearly and precisely. For a short text message, sometimes you might have to type "hey were r u" since you want to express yourself quickly and without fussing too much with the numerical keypad on your cell phone. However, if that's the only way you know how to write, good luck expressing a complex and nuanced argument in a five-page long essay.

So, no, I am not going to embrace the way technology is changing language. I am not going to accept the presence of emoticons in letters, I am not going to rejoice over the shrinking vocabulary of English speakers, and I am not going to celebrate the growing inability to use simple yet crucial clarifying grammatical devices in formal writing.

Well, neither am I really. I'm meticulous with spelling and grammar even in text messages and IMs and I know plenty of people who feel the same way. The beauty of language is that it is the root of knowledge and the cornerstone of our society. Yes, the decline of the English language is unfortunate, but not too consequential. Intellectualism will remain an integral part of society because society is so dependant on it.

Really, I agree with you on pretty much all these topics, I've just started down the wrong road but have no intention of turning back...

Also, "it's" means "it is," and "its" means "belonging to it."

I know, that was an accident. Should not type AI answers while talking to someone about food while I'm hungry.

This is often the case. I will also admit that the inclusion or omission of apostrophes in British place names is rather capricious and arbitrarily set by tradition rather than any generally applicable rule.

However, one city official is quoted as saying, "More importantly, they [apostrophes] confuse people. If I want to go to a restaurant, I don't want to have an A-level (high school diploma) in English to find it." He's speaking as if apostrophes are some esoteric device known only to the most highly educated and gifted people of the population. They shouldn't be.

I missed that part really. I agree. What a twat. It doesn't surprise me though, considering the mayor of London is someone who got elected on the grounds that he's been an idiot on some comedy programmes a few times.