Re: English notation
From: | Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...> |
Date: | Thursday, June 28, 2001, 20:56 |
Shreyas Sampat wrote:
> Contractions could do with retaining their <'>.
I disagree, I think that the apostrophe is greatly overused in our
current orthography. I'd suggest using it only for the possessive and
for "non-standard" contractions, similar to the way that hyphens
generally aren't used long-established compounds. So, for instance, I'd
drop the apostrophe for 'd, 's (when meaning "is" or "has"), 'll, n't,
've, 're, I'm, and possibly for in' and 'em (as in the informal varients
of -ing and them). Also, I'd *add* an apostrophe to its, ours, yours,
theirs, and maybe his to make them more consistent with other
possessives. Thus, my proposal would effectively reverse the current
it's/its contrast. :-)
--
Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon
A nation without a language is a nation without a heart - Welsh proverb
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