Post #4276068
2026-07-31 11:00 UTC
does anyone know if this is right? the possessive apostrophe + s is a contraction of ‘his’ as in
the lord of salisbury his pavan. the lord of salisbury’s pavan.
(which is a piece by orlando gibbons, if you’re wondering).
if so, it’s a tiny gendered corner of the language that goes unnoticed most of the time.
lady rich her galliard. lady rich’r galliard? alas no.
(that one’s a john dowland piece.)
#language
Replies (1)
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@eleanorrees@mas.to 2026-07-31 11:15
@Gaolaitch@cupoftea.social no, it's a misconception made popular because the old genitive ending '-es' sounds like 'his'.