Blasphemy! Birmingham, UK, bans apostrophes

[MorningGlow]

It's a sign of the apocalypse! Or that Councilman Mullaney is an eedjit.


Its a catastrophe for the apostrophe in Britain

LONDON (AP) — On the streets of Birmingham, the queen's English is now the queens English.

England's second-largest city has decided to drop apostrophes from all its street signs, saying they're confusing and old-fashioned.

...

Mullaney hopes to stop public campaigns to restore the apostrophe that would tell passers-by that "Kings Heath" was once owned by the monarchy.

"Apostrophes denote possessions that are no longer accurate, and are not needed," he said. "More importantly, they 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."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gqHbKAdUMsPIUMaJT-CAi1lIvt-wD961MQP00

[TZ]

1. Those crazy Brits!

:hide:

[MorningGlow]

5. Just goes to show ya

Murkins are so easily swayed to think that anyone with a British accent is better educated. Wrong!

I love the part of the article that said the councilman argued that apostrophes confuse GPSs, which isn't even true.
:rofl:

[rurallib]

7. Confuse GPSs? Do GPSs read road signs?

do the freepers have english cuzzins?

[MorningGlow]

8. Judging by this story, I now believe they do

If this were stateside, the councilman's quote would be something like, "Apostrophes is stoopid. They're just for the librul elite. We don't need 'em so we're gettin' rid of 'em. So there."

The result of dumb people with a modicum of power... :scared:

[Deja Q]

2. Apostrophes look like willies before given viagra.

:yoiks:

[Franzia]

3. Pity more, then, the lowly comma.

[Deja Q]

4. The comma requires twice as many little blue pills.

see, it's hung.

:rofl:


Man, no more spikin' my morning coffee with organic red wine.

[MorningGlow]

6. So you're saying

that the existence of apostrophes in Birmingham remind the councilman of his...er...shortcomings? So that's really why he banned them?
:rofl:

[Deja Q]

9. !

:spray:

[nuxvomica]

10. George Bernard Shaw would be pleased

He thought apostrophes were unnecessary and left them out of his plays.

[MorningGlow]

11. I love Shaw!

JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER: Yes, thank you. Right, Your Majesty is like a stream of bat's piss.

(gasps)

THE PRINCE OF WALES: What?

JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER: It was one of Wilde's.

OSCAR WILDE: It sodding was not! It was Shaw!

THE PRINCE OF WALES: Well, Mr. Shaw?

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW: I, um, I, ah, I merely meant, Your Majesty, that, ah, you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark.


Oh wait... :rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. 'Your Majesty is like a dose of clap'

"Before you arrive is pleasure, but after is a pain in the dong."

"What?!"

"One of Shaw's. One of Shaw's."

"You bastards! Uh... what I meant, Your Majesty... what I meant..."

"We've got him, Jim."

"Come on, Shawie!"







"I merely meant..."

"Come on, Shawie!"

"Oh... pffffffffffffft!"

[MorningGlow]

18. Knew I could count on you, Oedi!

I was looking for a pic but couldn't find one!

Hey, did you see my note in another thread--have you read Michael Palin's diaries? They're fantastic. :hi:

[Oeditpus Rex]

19. Nuh-uh

I don't have anywhere near as much Python literature as I should. :blush:

[KamaAina]

12. Remember, folks, when in Birmingham...

...dont tutch the but! :-)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

13. Whoever came up with this has an inferiority complex because he never learned grammar.

This is the most idiotic thing I have heard this week.
Duckie

[Left Is Write]

14. Confusing and old-fashioned?

OLD-FASHIONED?

I weep.

[SOteric]

15. ONLY from the ~Street Signs~

Which, if you'd ever been to Jolly Old and read street signs the like of "Knicker's Down," "Little Wit's End" and "Lower Fartter's Corner," - you'd completely understand.

[JVS]

16. It's ok by me.

[the_chinuk]

20. Don't forget, Lynne Truss is British Too ...

... she's the woman who wrote that deliciously scathing little book "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves", which everyone should read, if they're smart.

She lives in a country that's so inundated by extraordinary apostrophes, she posited the existence of the "Apostropher Royal", whose responsiblity it was to distribute the excess apostrophies that the greengrocers (produce vendors) needed to advertise "tomato's", "potato's", and etc.

Actually when I drill down into the above issue, it seems reasonable, if a little anal-retentive.

I love type and punctuation, and I can understand where it comes from. If it doesn't represent reality (for instance, the King no longer posesses King's Heath), it strikes a sour chord.

And it does look old-fashioned. There's a street in Corvallis Oregon called NW Kings Blvd. It was named for the pioneer King family, and for a long time, read "King's Road". The modern version avoids a antiquated-to-the-point-of-anachronistic and feels actually more natural than the more correct, old way of doing it.