Germans Protest Influence of English Language, Acceptance Concerned with 'Idiot' Apostrophe Ruling

Relaxation in official guidelines around correct apostrophe use for possessive cases in Standard High German has not only irked grammar purists but sparked concerns about the widespread impact of English.

Entities like "Rosi's Bar" or "Kati's Kiosk," which are common sights across towns and cities, deviate from traditional rules; unlike in English where apostrophes indicate possession, German doesn’t typically employ this punctuation for the genitive case shown through names. According to proper spelling conventions – “Rosis Bar” or “Katis Kiosk,” as seen correctly titled a recent popular success: "Barbaras Rhabarberbar."

Recently updated regulations by the body that oversees German orthography's standard usage suggest wider acceptance of an informal apostrophe – colloquially termed “Deppenapostroph” or ‘idiots’ apostrophe.’ This punctuation now may be used if it differentiates within a proper name.

The latest edition to the Council for German Orthography's style manual, serving as grammar reference in schools and public institutions throughout Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland where Standard High German is spoken, accepts alternatives like "Eva’s Flower Shop" (“Evas Blumenladen”) or “Peter’s Tavern” ("Peters Taverne"), with the exception that phrases such as 'Eva's glasses' would still be incorrect.

Note: The ‘Deppenapostroph should not mix up with English language convention when forming plurals, where an apostrophe is wrongly used to produce a noun’s multiple forms (e.g., "a kilo of potato’s").

These newly set guidelies took effect in July and the council mentioned that previously established leniency since 1996 means expressions like “Rosi's Bar” have not been formally incorrect for almost three decades, though a backlash has arisen among purists following their recent loosening.

Some commentators expressed discomfort upon encountering signs such as "Harald’s Corner" (“Haralds Eck"), while certain journalism critics voiced fear that permitting the possessive apostrophe represents further surrender to English influence on German language standards, with some comparing it to a form of homage.

Yet there is skepticism among linguists about how much this increase in possession marking directly relates to Anglicisms – not just because familiar foreign names may play into the mix but also due to possible intentional clarity for misidentified owners, as noted by Anatol Stefanowitsch from Berlin’s Freie Universität.

Even before these latest directives were established, it was generally accepted within German orthographic guidelines that an apostrophe could be used if necessary for clear understanding – like "Andrea's Bar," helping to distinguish between Andrea and Andreas ownerships without conflicting with the strict genitive form.

A Dortmund-based organization called Verein Deutsche Sprache aims at resisting English linguistic influence through tools such as an “anglicism index,” suggesting German alternatives for terms like ‘laptop’ (Klapprechner) or 'popcorn' ('Puffmais').