Why Should The Use Of Apostrophes Confuse Anyone?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9932152/Council-bans-apostrophes-from-all-street-signs-to-avoid-confusion.html

[mushroom25]

SP, King's Cross does have an apostrophe
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/King's_Cross_St._Pancras_Underground_station,_NW1_-_geograph.org.uk_-_829038.jpg

[rockyracoon]

Sp, for you

http://londonist.com/2011/10/should-kings-cross-have-an-apostrophe.php

[boxtops]

Good grief

[Tilly2]

I'm keeping out of this.

[chrissa1]

It's just another example of "dumming down" the written English Language, because it's not taught properly anymore. Back in my day............

[Tilly2]

^ That's why I'm keeping out of this!

[anotheoldgit]

So it's not correct to use the apostrophe seeing that the party belongs to the Socialist Workers?

[THECORBYLOON]

You called it Socialist Worker's Party, meaning the Party of a single Socialist Worker.

[ichkeria]

"So it's not correct to use the apostrophe seeing that the party belongs to the Socialist Workers? "

Interesting point (to people like me at least!) The official name would suggest not, but from a grammatical point of view an apostrophe might be appropriate. Depends how you look at it. There's even a case for Socialist Worker's party even if they have more than one member, because you might think of it as the party of the socialst worker (in general)
But that ain't their official name so I'd say for that reason alone it's wrong

[Tilly2]

Keith Waterhouse must be turning in his grave.

[THECORBYLOON]

I bet folk knew where to put apostrophes when anotheolgit was a youth.

[Ellipsis]

Two adjacent Tube stations on the Piccadilly line:

Earl's Court
Barons Court

[coccinelle]

I have yet to understand why a spoken language is spelt so differently to the written language. When someone is speaking he doesn't 'speak' apostrophes. A language is meant to be a way of communicating. I wonder if in 50 years time languages will be written phonetically....

[sandyRoe]

Socialist Workers' Party?

[sandyRoe]

Ay kan c that day coming ^

[aelmpvw]

chrissa1, when I was at school in the old days it was spelt dumbing down

[ichkeria]

"I have yet to understand why a spoken language is spelt so differently to the written language. When someone is speaking he doesn't 'speak' apostrophes. A language is meant to be a way of communicating. I wonder if in 50 years time languages will be written phonetically.... "

Because spoken language is less open to misinterpretation, due to pronounciation, voice tone etc. Apostrophes are also useful in written language for splitting out things like St James's, and other instances where confusion could occur.

[New Judge]

They cause confusion because, like many topics, their use has not been taught properly to young people in recent years. The State likes its citizens to have a fair degree of ignorance so that they do not understand or question things too closely. It controls that level by controlling State education whilst sending their own offspring to public schools.

BTW Barons Court in West London does not have an apostrophe because it is not the court belonging to a baron. It takes its name from the Baronscourt estate in Ireland which was owned by a gentleman who did most of the early property development in the area.

[jno]

blame the Irish, that sounds good to me, NJ. As to why we have them, they represent long-vanished letters, much the same as accents do in French. Very broadly speaking, "the man's house" might once have been something like "the mannes house" or even "the man his house". (And of course "he's" is short for "he is".)

Which means there's no real point in having them unless you're determined to commemorate the lost glories of 12th-century English. I wouldn't weep if their use was abandoned.

[Anngel]

I suppose this is fine if they remove the s which is after the apostrophe...otherwise the names will no longer refer to the intended person. It will make it easier on addresses as well. Bit annoying if you have just had some stationery printed though.