The end is nigh

Is it just me...but this is the end of civilisation as we know it.

Now it is quite possible that this piece of news may not have reached yet and so once again I invite loyal and devoted readers of these words of wit and wisdom to share my outrage when they hear that Waterstone’s, the booksellers, has decided to drop the apostrophe and will henceforth be known as just as Waterstones.

And they have reached this decision on the basis that this is ‘more practical’.

Now given that the High St at the moment is facing meltdown; that books are going to go the way of the vinyl and LP; and if you have a Kindle or an iThingamabob you have no need for Waterstone’s, you would have thought that the Head Honchos at Waterstone’s would have more on their mind than their ‘impractical apostrophe’. Sadly not.

So yet again the language of Shakespeare, Chaucer and the King James Bible is corrupted and de-flowered; protocols and rules that have developed over the years to aid comprehension and understanding and which have stood the test of time are abandoned without a by your leave; and those who should know better, who should be rising above the baying clamour of the mob and who should be setting an example of proper language use, fail to fulfil their responsibility to protect their linguistic heritage.

If Sainsbury’s and McDonald’s can get it right it surely behoves a purveyor of learning and literacy such as Waterstone’s to get it right too and not be so slapdash with the English language. Surely the aforementioned businesses have the same practical issues as Waterstone’s?

Where will this all end? Will it soon be ok to split the infinitive when we write? How long before it will be acceptable to end sentences with a preposition? And will the gerund and gerundive as well as the dative genitive soon go the way of the dodo?

It might only be me but as you can see this is the thin of the wedge and if we don’t make a stand now and man the linguistic barricades it will soon be anarchy out there with everyone making it up as they go along. And then where will it end?

So if you believe in the apostrophe stand and be counted. And from now on that will be the last book I will be buying from Waterstone’s. That’s Waterstone’s with an apostrophe.

Have a great week.

And don’t forget that it you looking for something a wee bit more insightful and informative check out www.themarketingcomic.blogspot.com

Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.