Comments on: Waterstones’ apostrophe: a victim of rebranding

By: Best of Language Blog Roundup 2012 | Wordnik

Best of Language Blog Roundup 2012 | Wordnik — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:07:21 +0000

[...] street bookseller,” Waterstone’s, decided to forgo an apostrophe and become Waterstones. Stan Carey deemed the decision “reasonable” and rounded up some great reactions. At Language Log, Mark [...]

By: Stan

Stan — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:11:57 +0000

An unfortunate mistake, but perhaps understandable given that the company was founded by Tim Waterstone.

By: Wojskowy Angielski

Wojskowy Angielski — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:25:51 +0000

Missing apostrophe in Waterstones’ is nothing in comparison with Reuters in Polish newspapers that deprived this agency from the final “s”. Sad but true. I ceased reading those newspapers.

By: Inkhorns in the past, apostrophes in the future « Sentence first

Inkhorns in the past, apostrophes in the future « Sentence first — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:48:20 +0000

[...] Apostrophe apostasy returns to the story about Waterstones’ apostrophe that I recently addressed on Sentence first. I speculate on why people get so upset by trivial [...]

By: This Week’s Language Blog Roundup | Wordnik ~ all the words

This Week’s Language Blog Roundup | Wordnik ~ all the words — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:32:45 +0000

[...] wondered if the apostrophe ever represents a sound. Stan Carey considered apostrophe apostasy and rounded up apostrophic reactions from around the web. Mr. Carey also explored new abbreviations, as did Ben Yagoda at Lingua Franca (and don’t [...]

By: Stan

Stan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:39:03 +0000

Alan: Good question. I would avoid double apostrophes and let the (then-)existing apostrophe stand for the additional possessive, e.g., Waterstone's management. Another option is to rephrase. John: That's the first mention of buttinski on this blog. For that, and for the geographical insights, I'm grateful. I imagine the Purdys/Purdy's discrepancy is quite common in any English-speaking area. An example I came across when writing an earlier post on apostrophes is St. Johns Wood and St. John's Wood both being used as official names for the Tube station.

By: johnwcowan

johnwcowan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:58:19 +0000

It turns out that Purdy’s is the name of the railroad station, but the hamlet (roughly analogous to an Irish civil parish, but without definite boundaries or legal existence) that it serves is now called Purdys, thanks to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, a set of interfering buttinskis whose job it is to ruthlessly stomp on all surviving bits of local color. Purdys is named after Joseph Purdy, a local resident whose house (built in 1776) is on the National Register of Historic Places. Purdys is one of six hamlets in the Town (analogous to a barony, but with significant powers of self-government) of North Salem, Westchester County, New York State. Another hamlet, Salem Center, is the supposed location of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters; David Letterman lives in the Town.

Goldens Bridge is in the hamlet of the same name in the Town of Lewisboro, just south of North Salem. At least some of the signs for the station say “Golden’s Bridge”.