In an unexpected choice that is stirring a robust linguistic debate, Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. The decision has ignited discussions among grammar aficionados regarding the proper use of apostrophes in possessive proper nouns.
“The lower the stakes, the bigger the fight,” commented Ron Woloshun, a creative director and digital marketer from California, who quickly engaged in social media debates about the possessive form of Harris and Walz’s names shortly after the announcement.
According to The Associated Press Stylebook, singular proper names ending in S should use only an apostrophe, as in Dickens’ novels or Jesus’ life. However, this rule is not universally accepted.
The controversy around possessive proper names gained momentum after President Joe Biden facilitated Harris’s run last month. Is it Harris’ or Harris’s? The selection of Walz, with his phonetically challenging last name, intensified the debate, noted Benjamin Dreyer, retired copy chief at Random House and author of “Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style.”
Dreyer, who was inundated with inquiries within minutes of the announcement, offered his perspective while at the dentist. “Everyone just has to chill. I’ll be home in a little while and I can get to my desk,” he recounted.
Although there is a broad consensus that “Walz’s” is correct, the confusion around “Harris’” versus “Harris’s” persists. Dreyer’s verdict? Add the ‘s.
“To set the ’s is just simpler, and then you can take your valuable brain cells and apply them to more important things,” Dreyer advised.
Woloshun echoed Dreyer’s opinion on the social platform X, remarking, “The rule is simple: If you say the S, spell the S.”
This viewpoint aligns them with major publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, but contrasts with AP.
Amanda Barrett, AP’s vice president for news standards and inclusion, stated, “This is a longstanding policy for the AP. It has served us well, and we’ve not seen any real need to change. We do know that the conversation is out there and people make different choices when it comes to grammar, and that’s all fine. Everyone makes a choice that works best for them.”
Timothy Pulju, a senior lecturer in linguistics at Dartmouth College, explained that until the 17th or 18th century, the possessive form of proper names ending in S was often just the name itself without an apostrophe or additional S. Eventually, an apostrophe was added to denote possession, even though the pronunciation remained unchanged.
“That became kind of the standard that I was taught and adhere to, even though in retrospect, I don’t think it’s a great standard,” Pulju said.
Linguists view writing as a representation of speech, and speech has evolved since then. Pulju anticipates the ’s form to prevail eventually. However, for now, he and the Merriam-Webster dictionary consider either form acceptable. “As long as people are communicating successfully, we say language is doing what it’s supposed to be doing,” he added. “If you can read it whichever way it’s written, then it seems like it’s working for people. They’re not getting confused about whose running mate Tim Walz is.”
Should she win in November, Harris would become the fourth U.S. president with a last name ending in S, the first since Rutherford B. Hayes, elected in 1876 — long before the advent of social media debates over apostrophes. Harris is also the first nominee with such a challenging last name since 1988, when Democrat Michael Dukakis lost to George H.W. Bush.
Dukakis, now 90, said in a phone interview that he doesn’t recall any similar discussion during his candidacy. He sided with the AP’s guideline, stating, “It sounds to me like it would be s, apostrophe, and that’s it.”
The Harris campaign has yet to adopt a clear stance on the matter. A recent press release from her New Hampshire team mentioned “Harris’s positive vision,” while her national press office referred to “Harris’ seventh trip to Nevada” the previous day.
