apostrophization

Apostrophization is the use of apostrophes in written language to indicate omitted letters or to mark a grammatical relationship such as possession or contraction. The term encompasses contractions, elisions in various languages, and the orthographic conventions that govern how an apostrophe is placed in words.

Historically, the apostrophe began to be used in English to signal elision of letters in the early modern period. Over time it also came to indicate possession or certain plural forms. The exact uses of apostrophes have been shaped by evolving orthographic standards and by style guides in different languages.

In English usage, apostrophes appear primarily in two ways. Contractions combine two or more words by omitting letters (for example, don't, it's). Possession is signaled by an apostrophe and an s for most singular nouns (the dog's bone) and by an apostrophe alone after s for many plural nouns that already end in s (the dogs' bone). For irregular plurals, add 's (children's). Some proper nouns ending in s have stylistic variants (James's vs. James'), and conventions differ among guides and publishers.

Other languages also employ apostrophes for elision, notably in French, where l’homme shows the suppression of a vowel and the definite article. In typography, there are variations among straight and curly apostrophes and among different Unicode characters used to represent the mark, which can affect readability and typesetting.

Common issues include overuse, misplacement, and confusion between plural and possessive forms. Style guides provide guidance to ensure consistency in formal writing.