Go Devon!!

[Gaye Christine]

Someone told me he was reading about a hearing coming up soon in mid Devon to fight against a proposal
to remove apostrophes from signboards to "avoid confusion" (translation: they use people who cannot spell
to design signboards).  Apparently there is quite a vociferous opposition to the idea.  Love it!!

[jane@manutd]

We've had it round our way as well, we have quite a few signs where it is spelt differently, with or without the apostrophes, from one end of the road to the other. Also have it for an area near us - Queen's Park or Queens Park? Does it belong to the Queen or not?

[Gaye Christine]

Ah, but is it Queen's Park or Queens' Park 

[pat]

Apparently the offending sign said "Childrens' Garden" and rather than subject its signwriters to the extraordinarily difficult task of writing signs with correct punctuation the council is planning to do away with apostrophes altogether. (Presumably this abolition only applies to street signs: one would hope that they're not going to ban their teachers from teaching correct punctuation in schools.)

Madness. Even the big bookstore Waterstone's has recently changed its name to Waterstones for some unfathomable reason.

[Gaye Christine]

What I don't understand is the logic behind teaching correct punctuation in schools and then removing it from place names which children will see.  Surely confusion will reign!!  Why is it so difficult, as you say Pat, to simply have someone writing signs who can spell.  "Childrens' Garden" - oh my ...

[ensiform]

Childrens' Garden...  Interesting.

Now that is a case of just little enough education and over-thinking a problem.  (As opposed to most of the signs I see with errors, where the writers clearly have no education about apostrophes and just guess: "fresh tomato's on sale here," "keep door 'closed' at all times")

Here, the sign writer knew, presumably, about the "apostrophe at the end of a plural noun" rule - it's the rhino's enclosure if there's one inside, but it's the rhinos' enclosure if two or more live there.  But children is already plural!   But it's for all the children!  What to do!  Lots of childrens own it!  Childrens' garden?

Amusing.