Fighting for the apostrophe

Lorrs33

I'm one of many who was given a name that requires an apostrophe for it to make sense. I graduate from college next month and I discovered that my name was to be lacking the apostrophe on my parchment. My college (who shall remain nameless) told me it was regulations of the awarding body that apostrophes be left out and replaced with a space. Of course, me not being one to accept something I disagree with, contacted the awarding body and discovered that there's no such regulation. My college have agreed to make the changes, but we shall see!

This may seem like a dull topic, but I reserve my right to fight for how my name's punctuated, and spelt for that matter (but that's a whole different issue). Why does the apostrophe have such a hard time?

biko

Should probably be in Languages but you're right, the struggle of the apostrophe must come to light.

I blame SQL injection.

maximoose

from my experience the apostrophe is generally used incorrectly 90% of the time in Ireland, so they'd probably just feck it up anyway

AlmightyCushion

I have the opposite problem. People keep trying to stick an apostrophe in my name when there isn't one there. Gobshítes. If you want I'll switch surnames with you.

Iwasfrozen

What's your name?

bonerm

Fair play OP. I'm a great believer that a persons name should be respected and presented correctly. Unless of course we're talking about some pretentious piss-taking name Prince "symbol" etc. In which case they can piss off.

dr.bollocko

TBH I'd be more worried about finding a job after college than finding an apostrophe on your degree.
Is your name Kia Cee'd?

clived2

was it an english degree?

Brendog

You gotta fight,

For your right,

to Paaaaaallllllllllataliz

thebigbiffo

can i have an example please? are we talking like o'driscoll or o'donnell etc.

Stercus Accidit

O'Something is a very common format for Irish names, lacking an apostrophe on an Irish degree would be ridiculous.

thebigbiffo

OP says his name wouldn't make sense though...like if someone wrote to me and said their name was ODonnell it wouldnt be perfect, but its not like i wouldn't understand it...so what type of exotic, apostrafied (!?) name does OP have!?

TheZohanS

It's probably D'Arcy. If it's an O'Something she could always use the Irish version and go with "Ni".

Mountain out of a molehill.

Stercus Accidit

TheZohan wrote: »

It's probably D'Arcy. If it's an O'Something she could always use the Irish version and go with "Ni".

Mountain out of a molehill.

Bollox

You get a college degree you expect them to get your name right, otherwise you are the spa with some other lads degree on your office wall.

orourkeda

we gotta fight fight fight fight for this '

stovelid

Lorrs33 wrote: »

This may seem like a dull topic

No 'may' about it.

AlmightyCush'n

AlmightyCush'n wrote: »

I have the opposite problem. People keep trying to stick an apostrophe in my name when there isn't one there. Gobshítes. If you want I'll switch surnames with you.

Like this? :pac:

Pookah

Can you not just draw an apostrophe when you get your parchment?

It'll hardly require the deft hand of a Michelangelo.

IvySlayer

Who else used to say Bertie O'Hern in primary school

Marcus.Aurelius

IvySlayer wrote: »

Who else used to say Bertie O'Hern in primary school

Just you, apparently.

Pherekydes

dr.bollocko wrote: »

TBH I'd be more worried about finding a job after college than finding an apostrophe on your degree.
Is your name Kia Cee'd?

The OP may have difficulty explaining to prospective employers why their name is incorrect (or at least different) on their degree. I'm frequently having my surname, in both English and Irish, misspelled and it bugs me no end how people can't get one simple word correct.

Also, bring back the hyphen!

CrazyRabbit

I' t'o't'a'l'l'y' 'a'g'r'e'e' 'w'i't'h' 't'h'e' 'O'P'.' ' 'W'e' 'n'e'e'd' 'm'o'r'e' 'a'p'o's't'r'o'p'h'e's!

LostAussie

Correct use of the apostrophe in language must be upheld!

The hyphen is another topic for another day, but I feel the semi-colon is vastly under-used. The hyphen is quite often used incorrectly, where in fact a semi-colon would have been more appropriate.

Liam Byrne

LostAussie wrote: »

Correct use of the apostrophe in language must be upheld!

The hyphen is another topic for another day, but I feel the semi-colon is vastly under-used. The hyphen is quite often used incorrectly, where in fact a semi-colon would have been more appropriate.

Hyphen ? I presume you mean the em-dash ?

Dravokivich

But think of all the money they'll be saving on the ink...

Pherekydes

Dravokivich wrote: »

But think of all the money they will be saving on the ink...

FYP.

starbelgrade

Apostrophes are one of the reasons we are in the mess we are today.

During the Celtic Tiger, they were so freely available that everybody was using them. We got greedy & threw them in everywhere, in places where they weren't even needed.

And now people are wondering why the likes of fish n' chips are now fish or chips.

Look people, you need to own up to your responsibilities. If there's not enough apostrophes to go around, you only have yourself to blame.

mathepac

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

... People keep trying to stick an apostrophe in my name when there isn't one there. ...

Sorry sir, if you give me their names I will re-educate them with extreme prejudice, sir. Eh, you are Biff'o, aren't you?

Jumpy

TheZohan wrote: »

If it's an O'Something she could always use the Irish version and go with "Ni".

ARGH... Do your worst *gasp*

http://orangecow.org/pythonet/pics/duffel.jpg


No, we have no shrubberies here ... ARG

Jumpy

Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can 'ni' at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land. Nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.

cc-offe

Once on that programme nothing to declare this irish guy tried to get into australia on a working visa for a second time, he'd alreeady been over there once and when he renewed his passport he left out the apostrophe and did the same on his visa application, he got stopped at border control though and they wouldn't let him into the country or even to say goodbye to his brother and friend who were over to work aswell!

Jumpy

starbelgrade wrote: »

Apostrophes are one of the reasons we are in the mess we are today.

During the Celtic Tiger, they were so freely available that everybody was using them. We got greedy & threw them in everywhere, in places where they weren't even needed.

And now people are wondering why the likes of fish n' chips are now fish or chips.

Look people, you need to own up to your responsibilities. If there's not enough apostrophes to go around, you only have yourself to blame.

At least its not Fish and Chip's. That could have driven me into a murderous rage.

mathepac

starbelgrade wrote: »

... And now people are wondering why the likes of fish n' chips are now fish or chips. ...

While I agree with the thrust of your argument, going forward, I believe we have bigger fish to fry.

Apart from being 'go h-an flathúlach ar fad' with 'na h-apostraphes', we must rein in our inappropriate use of plural verbs. In your excellent (but flawed) example above we should say 'why the likes of fish n' chips is now fish or chips', which frees up at least one 'is' to be used as the verb in another sentence or 'sintince', depending on where you did your teacher training.

Similarly, 'the Government is a pack of useless messers' not 'are' and in the same vein 'the Irish soccer team is a bunch over over-paid nancy-boys'

We will free up time, ink, verbs, civil servants use of paper and news bulletins will be quicker, leaving more time in the schedules for the XY Factor and Celebratory MasterChef.

Superbus

One of my teachers pronounces it 'apustrof'. Every time she says it I want to get a pencil parer and attempt to pare my little finger in sheer frustration.

Tom Slick

OP, you're not Terence Trent D'Arby by any chance?

FTGFOP

dr.bollocko wrote: »

TBH I'd be more worried about finding a job after college than finding an apostrophe on your degree.

The OP might be a multi-tasker -capable of worrying about two things at once, you'd never know.

TheZohan wrote: »

Mountain out of a molehill.

The college took the student's money (and the taxpayers'), expected the student to work to get their degree and reciprocate by not spelling their name correctly (if any institution should be able to use an apostrophe it's a college, ffs) and then gave them some bull**** excuse about regulations.

BluesBerry

I have an apostrophe in my name too but I have difficulty with some online forms they wont accept it, maybe your college has a database that wont allow it

It's not the end of the world OP it's only a apostrophe

Johro

Is it D 'Eath?

dxhound2005

This is a catastrophe

FTGFOP

If their name is D'Eath and it's a medical degree it could spell trouble.

GizAGoOfYerGee

Perhaps we should do away with the O' prefix on Irish surnames like the Irish-Americans did. Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Connell, etc.

And yes, as another poster said, it causes problems with SQL.

It would be easier to have Ó instead of O', but that's what the Brits gave us. The English language lacks accents. eg.

Present - a gift
Presént - to show

Kurtosis

GizAGoOfYerGee wrote: »

Perhaps we should do away with the O' prefix on Irish surnames like the Irish-Americans did. Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Connell, etc.

So Mr O'Bama would become...

Superbus

penguin88 wrote: »

So Mr O'Bama would become...

Mr. Bama

Kurtosis

Superbus wrote: »

Mr. Bama

Hmmm, doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Killer Pigeon

When better;

"Girl's orgasm" or "Girls' orgasm".

GizAGoOfYerGee

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

When better;

"Girl's orgasm" or "Girls' orgasm".

I hope your pigeon dies of AIDS.

dxhound2005

Or AID'S

Johro

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

When better;

"Girl's orgasm" or "Girls' orgasm".

Orgasms is better.

Lorrs33

Thanks to those who agree with my point of view. I'm not giving my name but it does have O' in it. My surname itself is spelt wrong on my birth certificate, so I've had to accept certain establishments (e.g., banks) spelling it the "right" way. Therefore, I just want to have it spelt the way it should be on my degree because this is something I worked for and I have a choice of how my name should be presented.

And I'm a girl, for those who have referred to my as a guy.

Fart

My second name is O' Brien. I hate it when they don't put the space after the apostrophe. It's how my family have always done it.

cc-offe

Superbus wrote: »

One of my teachers pronounces it 'apustrof'. Every time she says it I want to get a pencil parer and attempt to pare my little finger in sheer frustration.

I will now only refer to it as an 'Apustrof':D