Posthuman Blues

Here's another common language error that drives me absolutely nuts: the utterly misguided notion that apostrophes denote emphasis. I see this on signs all the time. The other day I walked out of Wild Oats Market (which serves "Entree's [sic] to Go") and there was a car in the parking lot covered with professionally made signs advertising how to


WORK FROM "HOME"


Just like that. "Home" in goddamned apostrophes.

The funny thing here is that the apostrophes convey exactly the opposite of what the sign-maker intended. Putting "home" in apostrophes makes it sound like "home" isn't really "home." Like there's some fiendish trick lying in wait for unsuspecting job-seekers. Maybe if you take the job -- whatever it is -- you'll be "relocated." I can imagine being led to some sweatshop with decaying mattresses strewn in some roach-infested back-room and a chain-smoking supervisor sizing you up from behind a cluttered desk:

"Welcome 'home,' pal. Now get to work."