Arkansas Blog

If any Republican opposition pops up, just offer to throw in a comma somewhere.

Has anyone requested a financial impact statement regarding the revision of Arkansas' (oops, Arkansas's) documents to include an additional "s?"

I truly respect Steve, so I hope that this will not become his legacy. We are now moving into the "end days" of this session.

Thanks.

No fiscal impact, Jim, and documents won't be changed. This was a non-binding resolution -- merely a gesture for Parker and his mission.

I sure took a lot of ridicule for it (much prob deserved), but he's worth it.

I believe the resolution is non-binding; does that mean that the state (or its subsidaries) don't have to conform? Maybe that will stifle any impact costs.

Due respect to Parker Westbrook and or Steve Harrelson, a little ol' bill from the Arkansas legislature isn't going to change Associate Press style.

"a little ol' bill from the
Arkansas legislature isn't
going to change Associate
Press style.
Posted by: UncleEarl"

They might change Arkansas' style, but they won't change Spirit's style.

Arkansas'
Arkansas'
Arkansas'
Arkansas'

Thanks Rep. Harrelson now we won't look so french when we have to be writing about Arkansas's glorious Toyota-less future. It looks a little weird, but nothing like Arkansas'

Now we will have to endure furriners (that is to say, Yankees) saying "Arkansaw-ziz", or worse, "Ar-KAN-zaz-iz" when they see that.

Speaking of which--not that what Kansas thinks matters--what is the "official" usage in Kansas?

"what is the "official" usage in
Kansas?
Posted by: widj"

Or Massachusetts.

But I think Max's...or is it Max'...book says it has to do with whether the final s is pronounced or not. The final s in Kansas and Mass. is pronounced. In Arkansas it's not.

Hey Jim, Shut up! No one ever requested a financial impact study on some of the stupid shit you introduced!!! Get a job!

Bmoney

Ouch! Unlike you, I have had a job for more than 20 years. Have you ever considered anger-manangement counseling?

My understanding of the rule is that if you would pronounce the additional 's' (that is, the one after the appostrophe) then you write it:

Examples of when you WOULD write it:
Tom's
Dick's
Harry's
Max's

Examples of when you WOULD NOT write it:
Jesus'
Thomases'
psoriasis'

The word 'Arkansas' would need the apostrophe and additional 's' because that 's' is pronounced.

Thanks Rep. Harrelson. :)

Jesus'

You know there could be a good use for that silly word with the needless "s." When something really stupid and vile is introduced by some elected official we can call him or her an "Arkansass" - just drop that little old apostrophe.

Yo, Womack - guess what.

I'm happy to see that KARK channel 4 is running a poll on this at
http://www.arkansasmatters.com/

Out of 300 votes, so far 85% agree with me that the proper possessive is
Arkansas'
not Arkansas's.

I think this is because, unlike Max Brantley who was raised under Code Napoleon, a lot of us in Arkansas were taught that if a word ends in s, don't add a second s to make the possessive. Just add the apostrophe.

My own schooling in the 1960s said nothing about whether the final s is pronounced or not.

Good Lord, people. I was schooled in the 70s/80s and we were taught that either convention 's or s' was acceptable. To each his own. Can't we live and let live? Such vitriol over an '. Calm yourselves and enjoy the debate but remove the profanity. Save that for a thread about Iraq or elected officials ignoring FOI laws--subjects that deserve profanity. Tsk. Tsk.

And if the tsk tsk didn't work for you, write: I will not sass the bills introduced to Arkansas'/Arkansas's legislature on the Arkansas Times's/Times' blogs 500 times's. I mean times.

"Such vitriol over an '. Calm
yourselves and enjoy the
debate but remove the
profanity.
Posted by: publicschoolsrus "

I think all of us except BMoney are enjoying a light-hearted debate on a meaningless subject.

And I think BMoney's problem is not the apostrophe or the debate, but some deep dislike of poor Jim Lendall.

People that know Parker know that he is an effective lobbyist. He knows how to press the flesh. I hear he had to buttonhole every member of the House to get this one passed. Some he had to buttonhole two or three times. Viciously. Right there outside the House chamber. We're talking take-no-prisoners buttonholing. I mean, I've seen some serious lobbyist buttonholers in my time, but Parker Westbrook is truly Arkansas's King of the Buttonholers. He has been engaged in flagrant buttonholery since his days with David Pryor. Having buttonholed the hell out of the House, Parker will be heading to the Senate to buttonhole those guys. Every damn one better assume the position, cuz Parker's coming, and you're gonna get buttonholed. Hard.

Click my name for the definition of the act of buttonholing.

" ... or is it Max' "

In fact, those many years ago, I was taught that both "x" and "z" qualified as an "s" sound, and therefore didn't require an "s" after the apostrophe for the possessive. Thus, Ajax' and Juarez' would be correct possessives, though Ajaxes and Juarezes would be correct plurals.

Under the rules I was taught, one would refer to Zeke Jones' house or to the (collective) Joneses' house.

Of course, I was also told that "w" is sometimes a vowel, without any mention of the Welsh language.

Hmmmm... Steve's rebuttal aside, it is interesting that the Resolution mentions a previous resolution from 1881 being incorporated into the Arkansas Code and the Resolution then declares itself a supplement to CR4 of 1881. Seems to me the intent is to get codified at 1-4-105, which would likely require documents, web pages, etc. to be revised...

(I couldn't care less - I'm sticking with Arkansas' spelling.)

Good to see that widj and Theodosius get it.

But we may have to take the Apostrophe-Only movement underground to avoid being considered backward by Arkansas' legislature.

To put it all in perspective, just use the last four letters and get the true definition of the General Assembly.