Never mind Arkansas's issues with apostrophes, the issue arises everywhere. Below the signature line in an email from a staff member at my university in California I read this address:
University of California Santa Cruz
Humanities Deans Office
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
Language Log readers will know whether or not that second line is correct. In fact they will be able to say instantly which of the following 18 alternatives is the correct one, without being confused for an instant:
| (1) | Humanities Deans Office | (10) | Humanities Deans' Office |
| (2) | Humanities Dean's Office | (11) | Humanitie's Deans Office |
| (3) | Humanitie's Dean's Office | (12) | Humanitie's Deans' Office |
| (4) | Humanities' Dean's Office | (13) | Humanities' Deans Office |
| (5) | Humanities' Deans' Office | (14) | Humanity's Dean's Office |
| (6) | Humanity's Deans Office | (15) | Humanity's Deans' Office |
| (7) | Humanitys Dean's Office | (16) | Humanitys Deans Office |
| (8) | Humanitys Deans' Office | (17) | Humanitys' Dean's Office |
| (9) | Humanitys' Deans Office | (18) | Humanitys' Deans' Office |
That is what I like about Language Log readers. They are sophisticated; they know their apostrophes placements (or apostrophes placement's or apostrophes placements' or apostrophes' placements or apostrophes' placement's or apostrophes' placements' or apostrophe's placements or apostrophe's placement's or apostrophe's placements' — you know which one is correct). One hates to sound elitist, but... I like the company of the linguistically sophisticated. It feels so good to be with one's own kind.
Posted by Geoffrey K. Pullum at March 20, 2007 06:14 PM