Germans Decry Influence of English As 'Idiot's Apostrophe' Gets Official Approval

A recent relaxation of rules around apostrophes in German, permitting their use in possessive forms like 'Eva's Blumenladen,' has sparked criticism from traditionalists and concerns over the influence of English on the German language. The Guardian reports: Establishments that feature their owners' names, with signs like 'Rosi's Bar' or 'Kati's Kiosk' are a common sight around German towns and cities, but strictly speaking they are wrong: unlike English, German does not traditionally use apostrophes to indicate the genitive case or possession. The correct spelling, therefore, would be 'Rosis Bar,' 'Katis Kiosk,' or, as in the title of a recent viral hit, Barbaras Rhabarberbar. However, guidelines issued by the body regulating the use of Standard High German orthography have clarified that the use of the punctuation mark colloquially known as the Deppenapostroph ('idiot's apostrophe') has become so widespread that it is permissible -- as long as it separates the genitive 's' within a proper name.

The new edition of the Council for German Orthography's style guide, which prescribes grammar use at schools and public bodies in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, lists 'Eva's Blumenladen' (Eva's Flower Shop) and 'Peter's Taverne' (Peter's Tavern) as usable alternatives, though 'Eva's Brille' ('Eva's glasses') remains incorrect. The Deppenapostroph is not to be confused with the English greengrocer's apostrophe, when an apostrophe before an 's' is mistakenly used to form the plural of a noun ('a kilo of potato's'). The new set of rules came into effect in July, and the council said a loosening of the rules in 1996 meant that 'Rosi's Bar' had strictly speaking not been incorrect for almost three decades. Yet over the past few days, German newspapers and social media networks have seen a pedants' revolt against the loosening of grammar rules.

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