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@palordrolap@fedia.io

2026-04-10 17:46 UTC

\*[whose](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whose) "who's" is "who is"\[1] or "who has"\[2], and it *can* be wrestled into a possessive if you make "who" all or part of a name\[3], but it's the wrong sort of possessive for this context. If you really want the possessive form, it ought to be phrased "which person's", which is mostly what "whose" means. (An actual linguist would speak more about the genitive and how it works in English, but I'm not as capable.) \[1]: e.g. "Who's there?" \[2]: e.g. "Who's let the cat out again?" \[3]: e.g. "This is you-know-who's box of tricks."

Replies (2)

  • @gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-04-11 09:06

    Noun [prescriptivism](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prescriptivism) (linguistics) The practice of prescribing idealistic norms, as opposed to describing realistic forms, of linguistic usage. E.g. - Most linguists in this age believe that prescriptivism is outmoded and should no longer be used - Most linguists in this age believe that descriptivism is a more accurate model of language than prescriptivism - Most linguists in this age believe that "correcting" language unnecessarily is actively harmful, as it stifles the evolution of a living growing thing, which prescriptivism fails to accurately model - Most linguists in this age agree the more important factor is CONTEXT, that you should use the correct language style for the context, whereas prescriptivism falls flat as it ignores context. Contextual Language is the idea that you use a different style of language talking to your boss then you do to your friend, then you do to your best friend, than you do to a stranger

    Open ##1194571

  • @kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 2026-04-10 18:04

    Well, that was an entirely unnecessary and lengthy correction to a mistake that was A) a typo I didn't notice from using swipe on my phone keyboard, not a misunderstanding on grammar, and B) not an error that rendered my comment confusing or indecipherable requiring your clarification. But thank you for your (air quotes) help. I really hope that you're a bot, not a person this annoying or one who writes that way.

    Open ##1194572