[OSM-talk] I've added some amenity values to "Map Features" based on tag usage

[elvin ibbotson]

>
> From: Mark Williams <mark.666 at blueyonder.co.uk>
> Date: 31 October 2008 07:21:30 GMT
> To: Chris Browet <cbro at semperpax.com>
> Cc: OSM-Talk <talk at openstreetmap.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSM-talk] I've added some amenity values to "Map  
> Features"	based on tag usage
>
>
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> Chris Browet wrote:
>
>>     It's fairly standard usage, you see a doctor at the doctors, a  
>> butcher
>>     runs the butchers. There should really be an apostrophe in  
>> there I
>>     think, ie: the butcher's shop, the doctor's surgery. But  
>> that's not
>>     really how people think of it. Just stick both on and point out
>>     everyone else's bad grammar :-)
>>
>>
>> Please bear with non-native english speaker. I agree we all use  
>> english
>> for easyness but those subtleties seem far-fetched.
>> Let's keep it simple and avoid the
>> "non-grammatically-correct-possessive-case".
>>
>> I think the tag value should represent a concept, not be  
>> grammatically
>> correct.
>> We might as well use "A124" or whatever. If everybody agrees it  
>> means a
>> doctor amenity in whatever language, the goal is reached.
>> Obviously, it's far less mnemonic, though... :-)
>>
>> - Chris -
>>
>>
> <grammar-fascist>
> The apostrophe is not correct anyway. It denotes a missed letter, in
> this word-position it would be 'doctor is', as opposed to the
> non-apostrophe version meaning 'belong to the the doctor' or plural  
> doctors.
> Doctors' is just silly but would be technically correct(ish) for
> multiple doctors (plural)
> </grammar-fascist>
> I hope we all enjoyed that.
> Given that the tags are in use, I'm going to pull rank & declare a
> special interest ;) - use amenity=doctors.
> DrMark

To be even more pedantic...

I was taught that apostrophes should be used in two cases: to  
indicate a missing letter and to indicate possession,
so the premises of a doctor would be  the "doctor's surgery", while a  
group practice would be the "doctors' clinic". If the doctor was at  
work you could say "the doctor's at the doctor's". Of course, the  
English language wouldn't be half so interesting if he rules were  
simple, so there is an exception with "it". Where "it's" means "it  
is" but something belonging to it would be "its".

Having said that, I tend to go along with the school of thought that  
we would be as well of without any apostrophes so amenity=doctors  
seems fine.

elvin ibbotson
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