Whilst for many Berliners the post-Christmas/Silvester period is a time for quiet reflection and apologies – apologies to neighbours for making too much noise, apologies to your body for the protracted food and booze onslaught, apologies to your hand for that freak feuerwerk accident that blew off your texting fingers (I myself have a lump in the back of my throat. Whether it is from the guilt of mistreating loved-ones and strangers alike during the festive season’s many drunken jaunts, or a medical complication from festive smoking overload, time will tell) – Berlin Loves You has been busy redesigning its website and logo.

Our New Year’s resolution was to get rid of that apostrophe in our logo. And, you know what? We did it!

Our decision to change was due in part to an army of super-literate Berlin Loves You fans who shared their concerns about our apostrophe-misappropriation via email. Here’s an excerpt from one such individual:

“Sehr geehrte(r) Blogbetreiber(in), ich als Englischlehrerin an einer Berliner Oberschule bin nicht darum herumgekommen zu bemerken, dass sich in ihrem Logo ein Grammatikfehler eingeschlichen hat! Das Apostroph (‘s) ist nur im Genetiv zu gebrauchen; in diesem Fall ist jedoch das ‘s’ auf die einfache Regel “He, She, It, das ‘s’ muss mit” zurückzuführen.”

Ursula Klein {readingiscool@drugs.swag}

Our excuse: there was a time when learning stuff was rubbish, being ignorant was cool, and knowing how to use an apostrophe correctly and being a virgin were two undeniably connected things. Now, however, we’ve seen the light. Suddenly studying is cool and being a geek is chic. We’ve grown up. We watch The Big Bang Theory. We read books.

We feel learning is for everyone. We’re like grammar-Communists. To show off our new-found skills, here’s the Berlin Loves You Guide to the Apostrophe:

• The apostrophe was invented in 1549 by Baron Von Apostrophe.
• Until 1831, the apostrophe was pronounced within the sentence, with the user actually saying the word “apostrophe”.
• When written, the apostrophe appears as “’”.
• Apostrophes can only legally be used to signify plurals by shopkeepers and fast food vendors (e.g. “pizza’s, kebab’s, burger’s”).
• Animals have been known to use apostrophes. However, scientists have observed that faster moving animals like birds and lions tend to use them more than slower ones such as tortoises because they are perceived to be “in more of a hurry”.

Our fabulous new logo will soon be available on Berlin Loves You’s line of merchandise, so you can wear your literacy with pride.

The Apostrophe. Berlin Love’s You.