Re: GNOME Documentation Style Guide

[Bill Day <billday bellatlantic net>]

I have just joined the list, so I am writing with a little trepidation.
Nevertheless, as a new subscriber, I was quite shocked to see that the
Style Guide contained a prohibition on the use of the humble apostrophe.
Granted, the use of the apostrophe to show possession is peculiar to
English as far as I know.  However, the structure is fundamental in
English, and as I recall it is normally introduced in first-year classes
in English as a Second Language.

The reasons, upon reflection, are obvious.  Take, for example,

	O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!
	The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword;
	The expectancy and rose of the fair state,
	The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
	The observed of all observers, quite, quite down!

Hamlet, III.i.  Here the respective merits of the apostrophe and the
prepositional phrase with "of," each used in its appropriate and
idiomatic place, are quite apparent.  And while there may be a
superficial attraction to conforming the English language to a foreign
syntax in order to facilitate translation, it is probably offset by the
resulting awkwardness of expression and longer-winded sentences (which
the Style Guide limits to 25 words).  Must we dispense with the Lord's
prayer, the lion's share, and the devil's handiwork?  Or, in a more
technical context, the user's mouse, the computer's on/off switch, the
keyboard's feel, the document's length, or the window's size?

Ultimately, I suppose that I question the philosophy behind banishing
the apostrophe.  It seems to me that good writing is the work of careful
thought, thorough revision, and good editing.  Using a style guide to
promote uniformity and clarity of expression is an excellent idea, but
it should not be a straightjacket in which reductionist rules attempt to
take the place of careful writing. 

I would like to thank all of you who have helped produce the
documentation that has made it possible for me to cobble together my own
Linux box, and I hope that my observations on this particular point will
be accepted as a constructive comment on your excellent work.

Sincerely,

Bill Day

billday bellatlantic net

On 12 Jul 2001 17:38:16 +0100, Eugene O'Connor wrote:
> Thanks for taking the time to review and comment on the style guide and
> wordlist. We considered many of the points you raised during the heated
> discussions of our documentation team, and I have detailed why we chose
> what we chose below.
> 
> "Rebecca J. Walter" wrote:
> > 
> > Questions:
> > regarding apostrophes... If not for possessives, are we supposed to use
> > of for all possessives or write them wrong?
> 
> We are not suggesting to write the possessive "s" without the
> apostrophe. Our intention is to use a construction such as "the x of the
> y" rather than "the y's x". 
> 
> Many people do not have a clear understanding of the correct usage of
> the apostrophe. This is true not just for non-native English speakers,
> but also for native English speakers. There may be confusion with the
> use of the apostrophe for a contraction ("don't"). 
> 
> The "of the" construction is simpler and clearer, and we believe makes
> the documentation more usable for native and non-native English speakers
> alike. It also provides a side benefit in reducing translation costs.
>