User Names and 'Possessive' - apostrophe S

Here's a nit picker, but not a bug or error:

Is there a script mod that would remove the  's on, for example Profile page, and other areas, where the (singular) user name ends in es? Just use the apostrophe in only that case? (Maybe the case of name ending in just S wouldn't always be appropriate...)
e.g. Sparkles's -which might better serve as just Sparkles'.

Website in question is geared toward educators, families and students and the apparent double possessive sorta sticks out, although technically correct.

Mike

I am guessing this could be accomplished with tempcode which temp1024 when he sees this could sort you out much faster than I could. He's quite experienced with it. But if you don't want to wait for his answer you could read the tutorials on tempcode in community docs and maybe you'll figure it out. Sorry wish I cold help more.

Duck said

I am guessing this could be accomplished with tempcode which temp1024 when he sees this could sort you out much faster than I could. He's quite experienced with it. But if you don't want to wait for his answer you could read the tutorials on tempcode in community docs and maybe you'll figure it out. Sorry wish I cold help more.

If I'm reading the code correctly, making the changes in tempcode only will get a little messy because the possessive is in the page title as well, which means the generic header template would need to be changed.

I can't find any language string, so it looks like it might be hard-coded in the php.

Thanks, I've no doubt the code will have to be modded, where it looks at the 'username' string for 'es', then modifies itself to drop the S after apostrophe kinda like
if username " *es " than " ' " else " 's "
and maybe more than one template,
but I'm not a 'coder, and am just taking this 65 year old learning curve into OCP territory.

Then, again, this isn't a 'broken' thingy, just one of those English language irritations. Certainly not critical.

Somebody will track this in a spare moment, out of boredom maybe, and show us how simple, or complex, it really is.

Cheers!
Mike

Geano said

Thanks, I've no doubt the code will have to be modded, where it looks at the 'username' string for 'es', then modifies itself to drop the S after apostrophe kinda like
if username " *es " than " ' " else " 's "
and maybe more than one template,
but I'm not a 'coder, and am just taking this 65 year old learning curve into OCP territory.

Yea, the fix is trivial its just a matter of finding the right place(s) to apply it, and from what I've seen it doesn't look like templates is the right place to do it necessarily.

Then, again, this isn't a 'broken' thingy, just one of those English language irritations.

Actually I think it is. It may just be text, but it really shouldn't be doing what its doing.

I think when I was in primary school (1980's UK) we were taught what you said Geano, but I think very soon after things changed and that scheme became considered archaic.
See:
The Grammarphobia Blog: When did “Venus’s beauty” get a second “s”?

.

There's no easy fix, regardless.

I understand, about the fix, Chris... and appreciate to look-see...
I do not necessarily agree with the archaic, however... this is not about singular possessives. Its about Plural, or those 'apparent' plural possessives ending in "es" especially.
From the same blogger you linked
http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/04/cultured-plurals.html

But this would be rare with most user names anyway. So an extensive fix might not be worth time and effort, I certainly agree.
If I knew where this text was being generated, I might just change whatever, to just use the 'nickname' or 'username' only, killing the word 'profile' and the possessive completely. Maybe putting the word "About" in front of the "username" as an alternative for my purposes, if that's possible.

Cheers! and Thanks!

Mike