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From: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Subject: Re: Languages written without diacritics
Message-ID: <E2A9rn.7K1@scn.org>
Sender: news@scn.org
Reply-To: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Organization: Seattle Community Network
References: <1996Dec10.101737.153102@forest> <58j98j$53l@news.fth.sbs.de>
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 04:28:34 GMT
Lines: 29


In a previous article, jnunner@forest.drew.edu (jeff nunner) says:

>Yeah, but not really... it's weird, because English uses the apostrophe to 
>indicate the plural of a symbol.  Examples:
>
>	Remember to dot your i's and cross your t's.
>	The number thirty-three has two 3's in it.
>	Write 5 #'s in the box.

Not quite, I think.  My impression we use these apostrophes not to 
"indicate the plural of a symbol" but to separate the symbol from the 
plural marker (s) so as not to look silly.

     Remember to dot your is and cross your ts.
     The number thirty-three has two 3s in it.
     Write 5 #s in the box.

is as plural-marked as the apostrophized version, but looks sillier (for 
various reasons, including the introduced ambiguity of is; such ambiguity,
or its avoidance, is also [I think] the best reason for writing "two 3's" 
and not "2 3's", which could too easily be mistaken for "23's").

Gentlemen?
--
Liland Brajant ROS'    			Ae, ka manu iluna oka hale,
P O Box 30091      			"O" ku'u leo "E moe maika'i," 
Seattle, WA 98103 Usono			Kani ku'u leo, ku'u hoapu,
Tel. (206) 633-2434  			Ae, ka manu iluna oka hale.
