Re: Thanks! (was Re: Possessive form of name ending with apostrophe?)

[Kate Schneider <kateschneider42 -at- gmail -dot- com>]

For some visual separation, rather than using a double apostrophe, could
the student try using a single straight quote (or a prime or whatever the
opposite of a grave accent is; I'm sure both of these options are in the
character map), followed by the curly apostrophe? It might not be
technically correct, but it would be a little easier to distinguish that it
isn't a misplaced closed quotation mark.

Kate

On Saturday, March 7, 2015, Jay L Gordon <jaylgordon -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:

> Thanks, folks, for your ideas. I'm going to suggest to Joe, the student,
> the following approach:
>
> 1. Even though we may *think* the use of the apostrophe at the end of
> these names is a mistake somebody made at some point, we have no practical
> way of pursuing that question. If the name is spelled by the "namee" (or
> his/her parents) with an apostrophe at the end, we just have to go with
> that.
>
> 2. For the possessive form of the name, if we can't rewrite the sentence
> to avoid it, then yes, we use two apostrophes (Achante''s books and
> pencils). Like Rebecca Officer said, it may *look* wrong, but that doesn't
> really matter. Adding apostrophe-s is the way to go, if we're being
> consistent with how we make other names possessive.
>
> Thanks! I know these was sort of an odd little question, but I we were
> really stumped.
>
> --
> Jay L Gordon
> Sent with Airmail
>
> On March 6, 2015 at 8:07:19 PM, Peter Neilson (neilson -at- windstream -dot- net
> <javascript:;>) wrote:
>
> On Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:37:14 -0500, Robert Lauriston
> <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com <javascript:;>> wrote:
>
> > Clearly the possessive of Achante' should be Achante"s.
>
> Did the parents think they were spelling Enchanté or perhaps Enchantée?
>
> The apostrophe is probably used instead of the accent because school
> systems and birth registries do not have (or formerly did not have)
> equipment to handle diacritical marks.
>
> When I run across names that are clearly supposed to be something intended
> to appear French, I am -so- tempted to "correct" them into real French.
>
> I think the temptation comes not only from my tech-writing hat, but from
> my early training in proofreading for the family newspaper. For anyone who
> wonders, "Press time is two AM!" is a much more important consideration
> than, "I have to fix another typo."
>
> As for made-up names, most of know someone with a name that was modified
> at immigration, as was Dan* Goldstein**'s
>
> *made up several thousand years ago
> **made up centuries ago, I guess; my great-grandfather adopted this name
> when he got to New York, to replace "Brzóza"
>
> The name Brzóza is a place in Poland. Nobody knows how to pronounce it.
> Well, at least I don't. Mssng wvvls.
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-- 
Kate Schneider
Cell: 619-218-6243
Email: kateschneider42 -at- gmail -dot- com
www.linkedin.com/in/kateschneider/
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