I’ve seen this usage crop up by two different members in the last day, in which I’ve really never noticed it here on the SDMB. Is using the `character as an apostrophe acceptable?
Examples:
Didn’t
Didnt <-- WTF I mean it looks the same, but it just doesn't look right at all. Reading words with is like reading a passage in all caps, it’s painful.
When my keyboard is set to French, that backwards apostrophe pops up when I hit the apostrophe key. Sometimes I don’t notice, and sometimes it’s too much of a pain in the ass to remember how to reset the keyboard or where on the French keyboard I can find the regular apostrophe.
Maybe those posters also have a non-English keyboard?
[QUOTE=Antigen]
Maybe those posters also have a non-English keyboard?
[/QUOTE]
It doesn’t do that on mine, anyway. My keyboard is always set to French, and the apostrophe that comes naturally is the correct one. In fact, I wasn’t able to write a grave accent without letter (which is what ParentalAdvisory’s character is) with my French keyboard. On the other hand, if I change it to English (American), I certainly can: it’s the key just left of ‘1’: `.
[QUOTE=severus]
It doesn’t do that on mine, anyway. My keyboard is always set to French, and the apostrophe that comes naturally is the correct one. In fact, I wasn’t able to write a grave accent without letter (which is what ParentalAdvisory’s character is) with my French keyboard. On the other hand, if I change it to English (American), I certainly can: it’s the key just left of ‘1’: `.
[/QUOTE]
Hm. It only happens when I’m using my brother’s laptop, and I was pretty sure it was the apostrophe key giving me the ` thing. I’ll check the settings when I get home, maybe I’m mistaken.
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory]
I’ve seen this usage crop up by two different members in the last day, in which I’ve really never noticed it here on the SDMB. Is using the `character as an apostrophe acceptable?
Examples:
Didn’t
Didnt <-- WTF I mean it looks the same, but it just doesn't look right at all. Reading words with is like reading a passage in all caps, it’s painful.
[/QUOTE]
Its just me trying to replicate the experience of reading a hand written post …honest!
Are you sure you’re seeing ` rather than ‘ ?
The latter is a single curlyquote, the former is a tilde.
Hmm… let’s try that again, shall we?
‘ = option ], endphrase single curlyquote
’ = shift-option ], startphrase single curlyquote.
oh and:
` = accent on key shared with tilde ~, not tilde itself of course.
I do recall seeing that character used as apostrophe in posts from a South American poster. The name escapes me at the moment. That leads me to belive that it is a function of the different language the keyboard is set to, as Antigen states.
Nope. A tilde is this character: ~
[QUOTE=Monty]
Nope. A tilde is this character: ~
[/QUOTE]
Acknowledged in Post #7
Drat. Missed that one. Thanks!
Online, you might occasionally see an apostrophe automatically translated into a grave accent for database reasons. Single quotes typically enclose strings (text). For example, the following command might be used to store your name in a database:
INSERT INTO customers (first_name, last_name) VALUES (‘Joe’, ‘Public’).
You can see the problem when trying to add a good Irish lad to the database:
INSERT INTO customers (first_name, last_name) VALUES (‘Danny’, ‘O’Toole’).
The most commonly accepted workaround to do this is to preface the apostrophe with a backslash, which is silently discarded when the name is pulled back out of the database:
INSERT INTO customers (first_name, last_name) VALUES (‘Danny’, ‘O’Toole’).
However, some developers just automatically change any apostrophes into grave accents and avoid the problem that way, figuring most people won’t recognize the difference.
[QUOTE=AHunter3]
Are you sure you’re seeing ` rather than ‘ ?
The latter is a single curlyquote, the former is a tilde.
[/QUOTE]
Now that one of the dopers has come out, the usage is found in the OP of this thread:
It’s definately the key used by tilde (left of the 1(!) key).
I don’t remember the other poster, but it was someone from pacific region, maybe Japan.
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory]
Now that one of the dopers has come out, the usage is found in the OP of this thread:
[/QUOTE]
Based on that thread’s OP’s writings, I’d suggest that the use of the grave accent is the least of their punctuational issues. I don’t mean to disparage that OP, but it does make their writing very difficult to read. If they were aiming for a unique and pleasant reading experience, well, they got one out of two.
IMHO, of course.
On preview, I see that that thread has devolved into a pitting of said punctuation, so I will add no more.