I shalln’t suffer an apostrophe

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Amadis
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Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:29 am

I amn’t a bigot, but:
what those apostrophes wouldn’t do
I cann’t countenance

and for those thinkn’t them foe
I holdn’t any resonance
they ben’t human, sharen’t
the values we daren’t abandon

Apostrophes seekn’t peace
obeyn’t our grammatical law
be withn’t them I say!

Ben’t here Apostrophe!
I shalln’t tell you twice
Disputen’t your banishment
While I’m being nice.
Macavity
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Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:45 am

I got lost amongst all those apostrophes Amadis!
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Amadis
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Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:19 am

Yes, it is a bit of a rant against apostrophes (again).
Apostrophes have been my nemesis in the process of learning the English language.
No other European language that I know allows them to run rampant like English does.

Are there no limits to the distortion of meaning this abominable punctuation mark is permitted to perform?
pomespennyeach
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Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:32 pm

I enjoyed trying to read this aloud. I like the experiment.

From Wikipedia:
The apostrophe was first used by Pietro Bembo in his edition of De Aetna (1496). It was introduced into English in the 16th century in imitation of French practice.
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Amadis
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Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:01 pm

Thanks for tying to read aloud this piece.
Did the meaning switch when spoken versus visual recognition?

Les français les tiennent en laisse stricte.
They run rampant like an invasive species in English.
pomespennyeach
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Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:52 pm

It seemed to change the meaning for a couple of lines:

they ben’t human, sharen’t (ben't) just sounds as "bent"

&

Apostrophes seekn’t peace sounds like they are seeking peace, some strange form of that verb
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