How Many Farmers at the Market
Here's a usage that I occasionally ponder: Why is it "farmer's market" and not "farmers' market?" It is not one farmer at the market, but many, unless you count the one-stand market we saw on a rainy day in Provence.
I suspect I know the answer. Writers get nervous about the plural apostrophe, because they're not as familiar with it. I'm not even sure "farmers' market" would be correct, though the basic rule outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style supports my argument: Form the possessive of singular nouns by adding an "'s" and just a "'" on plural nouns. Plus, "market" is singular, which might throw someone off, but the possessive is farmer. So someone way back when used the singular, and now the usage has stuck.
Any other theories from the 10 of you? Has anyone seen "farmers' market" used somewhere?
posted by Derrick @ 7:27 AM
8 Comments:
To answer myself, Edible East Bay lists "farmers' markets" while Edible San Francisco uses "farmers markets," perhaps the most indefensible of the options.
I always use farmers' market when i'm generically referring to them - for the same reasnoing you do. :)
I suppose I would use Farmers' Market, but I never have (until now). I can't say that I've really payed close attention. I'll check the Civic Center Market at lunch (tamales!).
I'd actually go with the apostrophe-free "farmers market." Why? It's a market made up of farmers, not belonging to farmers. You wouldn't write "supply's closet" or "groceries' store" would you? ("Publishers Weekly" magazine is a terrible counterexample.)
Okay, it's a stretch, but hey -- it's a question that can't be definitely settled. So there.
Gee, this page has it as Farmers' Market mostly, although a few go the other way (for googling purposes). Joanne and I had a discussion about this way back and decided that Farmers' Market is correct - but you rarely see it that way.
- Jack at your favorite food illiteracy site
Joe,
As it happens (I've learned thanks to an OWF reader), "farmers markets" is the AP standard.
But to argue back about your "supply's closet" or "groceries' store," you wouldn't say them because you'd say "supply closet" or "grocery store." To use those as models, one would say "farmer market."
Jack,
Yeah, I don't know why so many people use "farmer's market."
Yeah, I can't think of a real example. Unless Publishers Weekly is actually on point... Hmmm.
Interested question.
Typing "farmers market" into Google produces 10 results on the first page. There is but one "farmer's market", while there are two "farmers' market(s)", and a whopping seven "farmers market".
It looks to me like the populist rule of apostrophes is this: If in doubt, just leave it out!
Oh, and I don't think the comparison with "grocery store" and "supply closet" holds up ... afterall, I don't go to a farmers' market to buy farmers, do I?
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