Editing Apostrophe (section)

==Non-English use==

===As a mark of elision===
In many languages, especially European languages, the apostrophe is used to indicate the [[elision]] of one or more sounds, as in English.
*In [[Albanian language|Albanian]], the apostrophe is used to show that a vowel has been omitted from words, especially in different forms of verbs and in some forms of personal pronoun. For example, {{lang|SQ|t'i}}: them (from {{lang|SQ|të + i}}: them), {{lang|SQ|m'i mori}} (from {{lang|SQ|më + i mori}}). It is used too in some of the forms of possessive pronouns, for example: {{lang|SQ|s'ëmës}} (from {{lang|SQ|së ëmës}}).
*In [[Afrikaans]], as in Dutch, the apostrophe is used to show that letters have been omitted from words. The most common use is in the indefinite article {{lang|AF|'n}}, which is a contraction of ''een'' meaning 'one' (the number). As the initial ''e'' is omitted and cannot be capitalised, the second word in a sentence that begins with {{lang|AF|'n}} is capitalised instead. For example: {{lang|af|'n Boom is groen}}, 'A tree is green'. In addition, the apostrophe is used for plurals and diminutives where the root ends with long [[vowel]]s, e.g. {{lang|af|foto's}}, {{lang|af|taxi's}}, {{lang|af|Lulu's}}, {{lang|af|Lulu'tjie}}, etc.<ref>{{cite book |title=Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls |place=Cape Town, South Africa |publisher=Pharos Woordeboeke |date=2002 |edition=9th |url= http://www.nb.co.za/product/afrikaanse-woordelys-en-spelre-ls----de-uitgawe/7390/ |isbn=1868900347 |access-date=11 July 2009 |archive-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100420025344/http://www.nb.co.za/product/afrikaanse-woordelys-en-spelre-ls----de-uitgawe/7390/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Ligurian (Romance language)|Ligurian]], and [[Occitan language|Occitan]] word sequences such as {{lang|FR|[[coup d'état|(coup) d'état]]}}, {{lang|FR|[[Maître d'hôtel|(maître) d'hôtel]]}} (often shortened to ''maître d{{'}}'', when used in English), {{lang|IT|[[L'Aquila]]}}, {{lang|FR|[[Alpe d'Huez|L'Alpe d'Huez]]}} and {{lang|CA|[[L'Hospitalet de Llobregat]]}} the final vowel in the first word (''de'' 'of', ''le'' 'the', etc.) is elided because the word that follows it starts with a vowel or a [[H|mute h]]. [[Elision (French)|French elision]] similarly occurs with {{lang|FR|qu'il}} instead of {{lang|FR|que il}} ('that he'), {{lang|FR|c'est}} instead of {{lang|FR|ce est}} ('it is' / 'it's'), and so on. Catalan, French, Italian, and Occitan surnames sometimes contain apostrophes of elision, e.g. {{lang|FR|d’Alembert}}, {{lang|IT|D'Angelo}}.
** French feminine singular [[possessive adjective]]s do not undergo such elision anymore, but change to the masculine form instead: ''{{lang|FR|ma}}'' preceding ''{{lang|FR|église}}'' becomes ''{{lang|FR|mon église}}'' ('my church').{{NoteTag|In early French such elisions did occur: ''{{lang|FR|m'espée}}'' (''{{lang|FR|ma}}''&nbsp;+''{{lang|FR|espée}}'', modern French ''{{lang|FR|mon épée}}'': 'my sword'), ''{{lang|FR|s'enfance}}'' (''{{lang|FR|sa}}''&nbsp;+''{{lang|FR|enfance}}'', ''{{lang|FR|son enfance}}'': 'his or her childhood'). But the only modern survivals of this elision with apostrophe are ''{{lang|FR|m'amie}}'' and ''{{lang|FR|m'amour}}'', as archaic and idiomatic alternatives to ''{{lang|FR|mon amie}}'' and ''{{lang|FR|mon amour}}'' ('my [female] friend', 'my love'); forms without the apostrophe also used: ''{{lang|FR|mamie}}'' or ''{{lang|FR|ma mie}}'', ''{{lang|FR|mamour}}''.}}
** [[Quebec]]'s [[Bill 101]], which dictates the use of [[Quebec French|French in the province]], prohibits the use of apostrophes in proper names in which it would not be used in proper French (thus the international donut chain [[Tim Hortons]], originally spelled with the possessive apostrophe as Tim Horton's, was required to drop the apostrophe in Quebec to comply with Bill 101).<ref>{{cite news|last=Dickinson |first=Casey |title=Canadian Doughnut Shop Targets Upstate |work=CNY Business Journal |date=24 November 2000 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3718/is_200011/ai_n8927439/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060318230325/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3718/is_200011/ai_n8927439 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 March 2006}}</ref>
*In [[Danish language|Danish]], apostrophes are sometimes seen on [[advertising|commercial]] materials. One might commonly see {{lang|da|Ta' mig med}} ('Take me with [you]') next to a stand with advertisement leaflets; that would be written {{lang|da|Tag mig med}} in standard orthography. As in German, the apostrophe must not be used to indicate the possessive, except when there is already an ''s'', ''x'' or ''z'' present in the base form, as in {{lang|da|Esajas' bog}} ('the Book of Esajas').
*In [[Dutch language|Dutch]], as in Afrikaans, the apostrophe is used to indicate omitted characters. For example, the indefinite article {{lang|nl|een}} can be shortened to {{lang|nl|'n}}, and the definite article {{lang|nl|het}} shortened to {{lang|nl|'t}}. When this happens in the first word of a sentence, the ''second'' word of the sentence is capitalised. In general, this way of using the apostrophe is considered non-standard, except as ''[[Genitive case|genitivus temporalis]]'' in {{lang|nl|'s morgens}}, {{lang|nl|'s middags}}, {{lang|nl|'s avonds}}, {{lang|nl|'s nachts}} (for {{lang|nl|des morgens, des middags, des avonds, des nachts}}, 'at morning, at afternoon, at evening, at night') and in some frozen place names such as ''[['s-Hertogenbosch]]'' ([[possessive]], lit. "The [[Duke]]'s forest"), ''{{'}}s-Gravenhage'' (traditional name of [[The Hague]], lit. "The [[Count]]'s hedge"), ''{{'}}s-Gravenbrakel'' ([[Braine-le-Comte]], in Belgium), ''{{'}}s-Hertogenrade'' ([[Herzogenrath]], in Germany), etc. In addition, the apostrophe is used for plurals where the singulars end with long [[vowel]]s, e.g. {{lang|nl|foto's}}, {{lang|nl|taxi's}}; and for the genitive of proper names ending with these vowels, e.g. {{lang|nl|Anna's}}, {{lang|nl|Otto's}}. These are in fact elided vowels; use of the apostrophe prevents spellings like {{lang|nl|fotoos}} and {{lang|nl|Annaas}}. However, most [[diminutive]]s do not use an apostrophe where the plural forms would; producing spellings such as {{lang|nl|fotootje}} and {{lang|nl|taxietje}}.
*In [[Esperanto]], the {{lang|eo|italic=no|[[Fundamento de Esperanto|Fundamento]]}} limits the elision mark to the definite article {{lang|eo|l'}} (from {{lang|eo|la}}) and singular nominative nouns ({{lang|eo|kor'}} from {{lang|eo|koro}}, 'heart'). This is mostly confined to poetry and songs. Idiomatic phrases such as {{lang|eo|dank' al}} (from {{lang|eo|(kun) danko al}}, 'thanks to') and {{lang|eo|del'}} (from {{lang|eo|de la}} 'of the') are nonetheless frequent. In-word elision is usually marked with a [[hyphen]], as in {{lang|eo|D-ro}} (from {{lang|eo|doktoro}}, 'Dr'). Some early guides used and advocated the use of apostrophes between word parts, to aid recognition of such [[compound word]]s as {{lang|eo|gitar'ist'o}}, 'guitarist'; but in the latter case, modern usage is to use either a hyphen or a middle dot when disambiguation is necessary, as in ''ĉas-hundo'' or ''ĉas·hundo'', "a hunting dog", not to be mispronounced as ''ĉa.ŝun.do''.
* In Finnish, the apostrophe is used in inflected forms of words whose basic form has a "k" between similar vowels, to show that the "k" has elided in the inflected form: for example the word ''{{lang|FI|raaka}}'' ("raw") becomes ''{{lang|FI|raa'at}}'' in the plural. The apostrophe shows that the identical vowels on either side of it belong to different syllables.
* The [[Galician language]] standard admits the use of the apostrophe ({{lang|gl|apóstrofo}}) for contractions that normally do not use it (e.g.: de + a= da), when the second element begins a proper noun, generally a title: {{lang|gl|o argumento d'A Esmorga}} (the plot of A Esmorga [title of a novel]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005 |title=Normas ortográficas e morfolóxicas do idioma galego |url=https://www.lingua.gal/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=1647069&name=DLFE-10938.pdf |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=O portal da lingua galega}}</ref> They are also used to reproduce oral elisions and, as stated below, to join (or split) commercial names of popular public establishments such as restaurants ({{lang|gl|O'Pote}}, The pot).
* In [[Luganda|Ganda]], when a word ending with a [[vowel]] is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, the final vowel of the first word is [[elision|elided]] and the initial vowel of the second word [[vowel length|lengthened]] in compensation. When the first word is a [[monosyllable]], this elision is represented in the orthography with an apostrophe: in ''{{lang|lg|taata w'abaana}}'' 'the father of the children', ''{{lang|lg|wa}}'' ('of') becomes&nbsp;''w''{{'}}; in ''{{lang|lg|y'ani?}}'' ('who is it?'), ''{{lang|lg|ye}}'' ('who') becomes&nbsp;''y{{'}}''. But the final vowel of a [[polysyllable]] is always written, even if it is elided in speech: ''{{lang|lg|omusajja oyo}}'' ('this man'), not *''{{lang|lg|omusajj'oyo}}'', because ''{{lang|lg|omusajja}}'' ('man') is a polysyllable.
* In German an apostrophe is used almost exclusively to indicate omitted letters. It must not be used for plurals or most of the possessive forms. The only exceptions are the possessive cases of names ending in an "s"-sound as in ''{{lang|de|Max' Vater}}'', or "to prevent ambiguities" in all other possessive cases of names, as in ''{{lang|de|Andrea's Blumenladen}}'' (referring to the female name ''{{lang|de|Andrea}}'', not the male name ''{{lang|de|Andreas}}''). The English/Saxon style of using an apostrophe for possession was introduced after the spelling reform, but is strongly disagreed on by native speakers, and discouraged. Although possessive usage (beyond the exceptions) is widespread, it is often deemed incorrect. The German equivalent of "greengrocers' apostrophes" would be the derogatory ''{{lang|de|Deppenapostroph}}'' ('idiot's apostrophe'; {{crossref|see the article [[:de:Apostrophitis|Apostrophitis]] in German Wikipedia}}).
* {{anchor|Greek apostrophe|Apostrofos}}<!--linked from Romanization of Greek, apostrofos, &c.--> In modern printings of [[Ancient Greek]], apostrophes are also used to mark elision. Some Ancient Greek words that end in short vowels elide when the next word starts with a vowel. For example, many Ancient Greek authors would write {{lang|grc|δἄλλος}} (''{{transliteration|grc|d'állos}}'') for {{lang|grc|δὲ ἄλλος}} (''{{transliteration|grc|dè állos}}'') and {{lang|grc|ἆροὐ}} (''{{transliteration|grc|âr' ou}}'') for {{lang|grc|ἆρα οὐ}} (''{{transliteration|grc|âra ou}}''). Such modern usage should be carefully distinguished from [[polytonic orthography|polytonic Greek]]'s native [[rough breathing|rough]] and [[smooth breathing]] marks, which usually appear as a form of rounded apostrophe.
* In [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], the ''[[geresh]]'' (׳), often typed as an apostrophe, is used to denote abbreviations. A double ''geresh'' (״), known by the dual form [[gershayim]], is used to denote [[acronym]]s or [[initialism]]s; it is inserted before (i.e., to the right of) the last letter of the acronym. Examples: {{lang|he|פרופ׳}} (abbreviation for {{lang|he|פרופסור}}, 'professor', '[[professor]]'); {{lang|he|נ״ב}} (''{{transliteration|he|nun-bet}}'', '[[Postscript|P.S.]]'). The ''geresh'' is also used to indicate the elision of a sound; however, this use is much less frequent, and confined to the purpose of imitating a natural, informal utterance, for example: {{Lang|he|אנ׳לא|rtl=yes}} (''{{transliteration|he|anlo}}'' – short for {{lang|he|אני לא|rtl=yes}}, ''{{transliteration|he|ani lo}}'', 'I am/do not').
*In Irish, the past tense of verbs beginning with a vowel, or with ''fh'' followed by a vowel, begins with ''d' ''(elision of ''do''), for example {{lang|GA|do oscail}} becomes {{lang|GA|d'oscail}} ('opened') and {{lang|GA|do fhill}} becomes {{lang|GA|d'fhill}} ('returned'). The [[Copula (linguistics)|copula]] {{lang|GA|is}} is often elided to ''<nowiki />'s'', and {{lang|GA|do}} ('to'), {{lang|GA|mo}} ('my') etc. are elided before ''f'' and vowels.
*In [[Italian language|Italian]] it is used for elision with pronouns, as in {{lang|IT|l'ha}} instead of {{lang|IT|la ha}}; with articles, as in {{lang|IT|l'opera}} instead of {{lang|IT|la opera}}; and for truncation, as in {{lang|IT|po'}} instead of {{lang|IT|poco}}. Stylistically, sentences beginning with È (as in {{lang|IT|È vero che ...}}) are often rendered as E' in newspapers, to minimise [[leading]] (inter-line spacing). 
*In modern [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], the apostrophe marks that a word has been contracted, such as ''{{lang|no|ha'kke}}'' from ''{{lang|no|har ikke}}'' ('have/has not'). Unlike English and French, such elisions are not accepted as part of standard orthography but are used to create a more "oral style" in writing. The apostrophe is also used to mark the genitive for words that end in an -s sound: words ending in -s, -x, and -z, some speakers also including words ending in the sound {{IPA|no|ʂ|}}. As Norwegian does not form the plural with -s, there is no need to distinguish between an -s forming the possessive and the -s forming the plural. Therefore, we have ''{{lang|no|mann}}'' ('man') and ''{{lang|no|manns}}'' ('man's'), without apostrophe, but ''{{lang|no|los}}'' ('naval pilot') and ''{{lang|no|los}}'<nowiki />'' ('naval pilot's'). Indicating the possessive for the two former American presidents named George Bush, whose names end in {{IPA|no|ʂ|}}, could be written as both ''{{lang|no|Bushs}}'' (simply adding an -s to the name) and ''{{lang|no|Bush'}}'' (adding an apostrophe to the end of the name).{{clarify|date=June 2018|reason=Replace this confusing example with something that's actually Norwegian.}}
* In [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] the apostrophe is used to reproduce certain popular pronunciations such as {{Lang|PT|s'enxerga}} (pay attention to yourself) or in a few combinations of word, when there is the suppression of the vowel of the preposition ''de'' in certain compound words (the ones formed by two or more stems) such as {{lang|PT|caixa-d'água}} ('water tower'), {{lang|PT|galinha-d'angola}} ('guineafowl'), {{lang|PT|pau-d'alho}} (a plant species, {{lang|LA|Gallesia integrifolia}}), {{Lang|PT|estrela-d'alva}} ('morning star'), etc. Portuguese has many contractions between prepositions and articles or pronouns (like ''na'' for ''em'' + ''a''), but these are written without an apostrophe. Also, the apostrophe is most commonly not used in the word ''pra'', the reduced or popular form of the preposition ''para'' (but some advocate for its used in preposition + article contractions: ''para + a = p'ra/pra'', ''para + o = p'ro/pro'', etc.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sousandrade (Sousândrade) |first=Joaquim de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VWXBCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT43 |title=O Guesa |date=2014-01-06 |publisher=Editora Ponteio - Dumará Distribuidora Lta |isbn=978-85-64116-35-1 |language=pt-BR}}</ref>).
* Modern Spanish no longer uses the apostrophe to indicate elision in standard writing, although it can sometimes be found in older poetry for that purpose.{{NoteTag|Examples include ''{{lang|es|Nuestras vidas son los ríos/que van a dar en la mar,/qu'es el morir.}}'' meaning 'Our lives are the rivers/that flow to give to the sea,/which is death.' (from ''Coplas de Don Jorge Manrique por la muerte de su padre'', 1477) and ''{{lang|es|¿...&nbsp;qué me ha de aprovechar ver la pintura/d'aquel que con las alas derretidas&nbsp;...?}}'' meaning '...&nbsp;what could it help me to see the painting of that one with the melted wings&nbsp;...?' (from the 12th sonnet of Garcilazo de la Vega, {{circa|1500}}–36).}} Instead Spanish writes out the spoken elision in full (''{{lang|es|de enero}}'', ''{{lang|es|mi hijo}}'') except for the contraction ''{{lang|es|del}}'' for ''{{lang|es|de}}'' + ''{{lang|es|el}}'', and ''al'' for ''a'' + ''el'', which use no apostrophe.
*In [[Swedish (language)|Swedish]], the apostrophe marks an elision, such as ''{{lang|sv|på sta'n}}'', short for ''{{lang|sv|på staden}}'' ('in the city'), to make the text more similar to the spoken language. This is relaxed style, fairly rarely used, and would not be used by traditional newspapers in political articles, but could be used in entertainment related articles and similar. The formal way to denote elision in Swedish is by using colon, e.g. ''{{lang|sv|S:t Erik}}'' for ''{{lang|sv|Sankt Erik}}'' which is rarely spelled out in full. The apostrophe must not be used to indicate the possessive except – although not mandatory – when there is already an ''s'', ''x'' or ''z'' present in the base form, as in ''{{lang|sv|Lukas' bok}}''.
*[[Welsh language|Welsh]] uses the apostrophe to mark elision of the definite article {{lang|CY|yr}} ('the') following a vowel (''a'', ''e'', ''i'', ''o'', ''u'', ''y'', or, in Welsh, ''w''), as in {{lang|CY|i'r tŷ}}, 'to the house'. It is also used with the particle {{lang|CY|yn}}, such as with {{lang|CY|mae hi'n}}, 'she is'.

===As a glottal stop===
{{See also|ʻOkina|Saltillo (linguistics)|Modifier letter apostrophe|Modifier letter double apostrophe|Modifier letter right half ring}}

Several languages and transliteration systems use the apostrophe or some similar mark to indicate a [[glottal stop]], sometimes considering it a letter of the alphabet:

*In several [[Finno-Ugric languages]], such as [[Estonian language|Estonian]] and [[Finnish language|Finnish]]; for example in the Finnish word ''{{lang|fi|raa’an}}'', being the genitive or accusative of ''{{lang|fi|raaka}}'' ('raw').
*In [[Guaraní language|Guarani]], it is called ''{{lang|gn|puso}}'' {{IPA|/puˈso/}}, and used in the words ''{{lang|gn|ñe'ẽ}}'' (language, to speak), ''{{lang|gn|ka'a}}'' (grass), ''{{lang|gn|a'ỹ}}'' (sterile).
*In [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]], the ''[[{{okina}}okina]]'' {{angle bracket|{{okina}}}}, an inverted apostrophe, is often rendered as {{angle bracket|'}}. It is considered a letter of the alphabet.
*[[Mayan language|Mayan]].
*In the [[Tongan language]], the apostrophe is called a ''{{lang|to|fakauʻa}}'' and is the last letter of the alphabet. It represents the glottal stop. Like the {{okina}}okina, it is inverted.
*Various other [[Austronesian languages]], such as [[Samoan language|Samoan]], [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]], and [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]].
*[[Tetum language|Tetum]], one of the official languages of [[East Timor]].
*The Brazilian native [[Tupi language]].
*[[Mossi language|Mossi]] (Mooré), a language of [[Burkina Faso]].
*In [[Võro language|Võro]], the apostrophe is used in parallel with the letter ''q'' as symbol of plural, for example ''majaq'' or ''maja'<nowiki />'' ('houses'), imperative ''annaq'' or ''anna'<nowiki />'', and in all other word forms with glottal stop.
*Several [[fictional languages]] such as [[Klingon language|Klingon]], [[D'ni language|D'ni]], [[Mando'a]] or [[Na'vi language|Na'vi]] add apostrophes to make names appear "alien".

The apostrophe represents sounds resembling the glottal stop in the [[Turkic languages]] and in some [[romanization]]s of [[Semitic languages]], including [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]. In that case, the letter ''[[ayin|'ayn]]'' (Arabic ع and Hebrew ע) is correspondingly transliterated with the opening single quotation mark.

===As a mark of palatalization or non-palatalization===
Some languages and [[transliteration]] systems use the apostrophe to mark the presence, or the lack of, [[palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]]:

*In [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]] and [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], the apostrophe is used between a consonant and a following "soft" ([[Iotation|iotated]]) vowel (Be.: [[е]], [[ё]], [[ю]], [[я]]; Uk.: [[є]], [[ї]], [[ю]], [[я]]) to indicate that ''no'' palatalization of the preceding consonant takes place, and the vowel is pronounced in the same way as at the beginning of a word. It therefore marks a morpheme boundary before {{IPA|/j/}} and, in Belarusian, is a letter of the alphabet (as the hard sign in Russian is) rather than a simple punctuation mark in English, as it is not a punctuation mark in Belarusian. It appears frequently in Ukrainian, as, for instance, in the words: {{lang|uk|{{angbr|п'ять}}}} ({{transliteration|uk|p"jat'}}) 'five', {{lang|uk|{{angbr|від'їзд}}}} ({{transliteration|uk|vid"jizd}}) 'departure', {{lang|uk|{{angbr|об'єднаний}}}} ({{transliteration|uk|ob"jednanyj}}) 'united', {{lang|uk|{{angbr|з'ясувати}}}} ({{transliteration|uk|z"jasuvaty}}) 'to clear up, explain', {{lang|uk|{{angbr|п'єса}}}} ({{transliteration|uk|p"jesa}}) play (drama), etc.<ref>Daniel Bunčić (Bonn), "The apostrophe: A neglected and misunderstood reading aid" at the [http://homepages.uni-tuebingen.de/daniel.buncic/apostroph/apostrophe.pdf Tübingen University website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414224723/http://homepages.uni-tuebingen.de/daniel.buncic/apostroph/apostrophe.pdf |date=14 April 2012}}</ref><ref>[https://linguistlist.org/issues/13/13-1566/ Linguist List 13.1566, Daniel Bunčić, "Apostrophe rules in languages"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113225725/http://linguistlist.org/issues/13/13-1566.html |date=13 January 2010}}, from 31 May 2002.</ref>
*In [[Russian language|Russian]] and some derived alphabets, the same function has been served by the [[hard sign]] (ъ, formerly called ''yer''). But the apostrophe saw some use as a substitute after 1918, when Soviet authorities enforced an orthographic reform by confiscating [[movable type]] bearing the hard sign from stubborn printing houses in Petrograd.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090604160709/http://www.vladtv.ru/leksikon.shtml?news=131 "Лексикон" Валерия Скорбилина Архив выпусков программы]. vladtv.ru (Archives in Russian)</ref>
*In some [[Latin transliteration]]s of certain [[Cyrillic alphabets]] (for [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], [[Romanization of Russian|Russian]], and [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]), the apostrophe is used to replace the [[soft sign]] (ь, indicating palatalization of the preceding consonant), e.g., ''Русь'' is transliterated ''[[Kievan Rus'|Rus']]'' according to the [[BGN/PCGN system]]. (The [[Prime (symbol)#Use in linguistics|prime symbol]] is also used for the same purpose.) Some of these transliteration schemes use a [[Modifier letter double apostrophe|double apostrophe]] (&nbsp;ˮ&nbsp;) to represent the apostrophe in Ukrainian and Belarusian text and the hard sign (ъ) in Russian text, e.g. Ukrainian ''{{lang|uk|слов'янське}}'' ('Slavic') is transliterated as ''{{transliteration|uk|slov"jans'ke}}''.
*Some [[Karelian language|Karelian]] orthographies use an apostrophe to indicate palatalization, e.g. ''{{lang|krl|n'evvuo}}'' ('to give advice'), ''{{lang|uk|d'uuri}}'' ('just (like)'), ''{{lang|uk|el'vüttiä}}'' ('to revive').
*In [[Võro language|Võro]] an apostrophe is often (also in the Võro Wikipedia) used as a simplification to replace the regular Võro palatalization mark which is the accute accent, for example ''as'aq'' replacing regular form ''aśaq'' ('things').

===To separate morphemes===
Some languages use the apostrophe to separate the [[root (linguistics)|root]] of a word and its [[affix]]es, especially if the root is foreign and unassimilated. (For another kind of morphemic separation see [[#Miscellaneous uses in other languages|pinyin]], below.)

* In [[Danish language|Danish]] an apostrophe is sometimes used to join the [[enclitic]] [[definite article]] to words of foreign origin, or to other words that would otherwise look awkward. For example, one would write ''{{lang|da|IP'en}}'' to mean "the [[IP address]]". There is some variation in what is considered "awkward enough" to warrant an apostrophe; for instance, long-established words such as ''{{lang|da|firma}}'' ('company') or ''{{lang|da|niveau}}'' ('level') might be written ''{{lang|da|firma'et}}'' and ''{{lang|da|niveau'et}}'', but will generally be seen without an apostrophe. Due to Danish influence, this usage of the apostrophe can also be seen in Norwegian, but is non-standard – a hyphen should be used instead: e.g. {{lang|no|CD-en}} (the CD).
*In [[Estonian language|Estonian]], apostrophes can be used in the declension of some foreign names to separate the stem from any [[declension]] endings; e.g., ''{{lang|et|Monet{{'}}}}'' ([[genitive case]]) or ''{{lang|et|Monet'sse}}'' ([[illative case]]) of ''Monet'' (name of the famous painter).
*In [[Finnish language|Finnish]], apostrophes are used in the declension of foreign names or loan words that end in a consonant when written but are pronounced with a vowel ending, e.g. ''{{lang|fi|show'ssa}}'' ('in a show'), ''{{lang|fi|Bordeaux'hon}}'' ('to Bordeaux'). For Finnish as well as [[Swedish language|Swedish]], there is a closely related [[colon (punctuation)#Suffix separator|use of the colon]].
*In [[Polish language|Polish]], the apostrophe is used exclusively for marking inflections of words and word-like elements (but not [[acronym]]s – a hyphen is used instead) whose spelling conflicts with the normal rules of inflection. This mainly affects foreign words and names. For instance, one would correctly write ''{{lang|pl|Kampania Ala Gore'a}}'' for "[[Al Gore]]'s campaign". In this example, ''{{lang|pl|Ala}}'' is spelled without an apostrophe, since its spelling and pronunciation fit into normal Polish rules; but ''{{lang|pl|Gore'a}}'' needs the apostrophe, because ''e'' disappears from the pronunciation, changing the inflection pattern. This rule is often misunderstood as calling for an apostrophe after ''all'' foreign words, regardless of their pronunciation, yielding the incorrect ''{{lang|pl|Kampania Al'a Gore'a}}'', for example. The effect is akin to the greengrocers' apostrophe (see above).
*In [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[noun#Proper nouns and common nouns|proper nouns]] are capitalised and an apostrophe is inserted between the noun and any following [[inflectional suffix]], e.g. ''{{lang|tr|İstanbul'da}}'' ("in [[Istanbul]]"), contrasting with ''{{lang|tr|okulda}}'' ("in school", ''{{lang|tr|okul}}'' is a common noun) and ''{{lang|tr|İstanbullu}}'' ('Istanbulite', ''-lu'' is a [[derivational suffix]]).<ref>[http://www.tdk.gov.tr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=187 The rules regarding the apostrophe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107010200/http://www.tdk.gov.tr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=187 |date=7 January 2013}} on the site of the Turkish Language Institute (TDK), the official authority on the Turkish language</ref>
*In [[Welsh language|Welsh]] the apostrophe is used with infixed pronouns in order to distinguish them from the preceding word (e.g. ''{{lang|cy|a'm chwaer}}'', 'and my sister' as opposed to ''{{lang|cy|am chwaer}}'', 'about a sister').

===Miscellaneous uses in other languages===
*In [[Breton language|Breton]], the combination ''{{lang|br|cʼh}}'' is used for the consonant {{IPA|/x/}} (like ''ch'' in [[Scottish English]] ''Loch Ness''), while ''{{lang|br|ch}}'' is used for the consonant {{IPA|/ʃ/}} (as in French ''{{lang|fr|chat}}'' or English ''she'').
*In [[Czech language|Czech]], an apostrophe is used for writing to indicate spoken or informal language where the writer wants to express the natural way of informal speech, but it should not be used in formal text or text of a serious nature. E.g., instead of ''{{lang|cs|četl}}'' ('he read'), the word form ''{{lang|cs|čet'<nowiki />}}'' is used. ''{{lang|cs|Čet'}}'' is the informal variant of the verb form ''{{lang|cs|četl}}'', at least in some varieties.<ref>[http://cja.ujc.cas.cz/CJA4/files/04-0547.pdf Rostl, Četl, příč. min. sg. m.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220094033/http://cja.ujc.cas.cz/CJA4/files/04-0547.pdf |date=20 December 2016}} cja.ujc.cas.cz Retrieved on 8 December 2016.</ref> These two words are the same in meaning, but to use the informal form gives the text a more natural tone, as though a friend were talking to you. Furthermore, the same as in the Slovak case below holds for lowercase ''t'' and ''d'', and for the two-digit year notation.
*In [[Finnish language|Finnish]], one of the [[consonant gradation]] patterns is the change of a ''k'' into a [[Hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]], e.g. ''{{lang|fi|keko}}'' → ''{{lang|fi|keon}}'' ('a pile' → 'a pile's'). This hiatus has to be indicated in spelling with an apostrophe if a long vowel (represented by doubling (e.g. {{lang|fi|oo}}) or the final vowel of a diphthong (e.g. {{lang|fi|uo}}) would be immediately followed by the same vowel, e.g. ''{{lang|fi|ruoko}}'' → ''{{lang|fi|ruo'on}}'', ''{{lang|fi|vaaka}}'' → ''{{lang|fi|vaa'an}}''. (This is in contrast to compound words, where the problem of a vowel recurring over a syllable break is solved with a [[hyphen]], e.g. ''{{lang|fi|maa-ala}}'', 'land area'.) Similarly, the apostrophe is used to mark the [[hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]] (contraction) that occurs in poetry, e.g. ''{{lang|fi|miss' on}}'' for ''{{lang|fi|missä on}}'' ('where is').
*[[Galician cuisine|Galician restaurants]] sometimes use ''{{'}}'' in their names following the standard article ''{{lang|gl|O}}'' ('the').<ref>[https://archive.today/20120908030006/http://www.paginasamarillas.es/resultados.asp?activ=Restaurantes+gallegos&nomb=O&prov=MADRID&pgpv=1&mode=listadirGalician Restaurantes gallegos, llamadas O en la provincia de Madrid]. paginasamarillas.es</ref>
*In [[Luganda|Ganda]], ''{{lang|lg|ng{{'}}}}'' (pronounced {{IPA|/ŋ/}}) is used in place of ''ŋ'' on keyboards where this character is not available. The apostrophe distinguishes it from the letter combination ''{{lang|lg|ng}}'' (pronounced {{IPA|[ŋɡ]}}), which has separate use in the language. Compare this with the Swahili usage below.
*In [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], the ''[[geresh]]'' (a diacritic similar to the apostrophe and often represented by one) is used for several purposes other than to mark an elision:
**As an adjacent to letters to show sounds that are not represented in the [[Hebrew alphabet]]: Sounds such as {{IPAslink|dʒ}} (English ''j'' as in ''job''), {{IPAslink|θ}} (English ''th'' as in ''thigh''), and {{IPAslink|tʃ}} (English ''ch'' as in ''check'') are indicated using ג, ת, and צ with a ''[[geresh]]'' (informally ''chupchik''). For example, the name ''George'' is spelled {{lang|he|ג׳ורג׳}} in Hebrew (with {{lang|he|ג׳}} representing the first and last consonants).
**To denote a [[Hebrew numerals|Hebrew numeral]] (e.g., {{lang|he|נ׳}}, which stands for '50')
**To denote a Hebrew letter which stands for itself (e.g., {{lang|he|מ׳}} – the letter ''[[mem]]'')
**[[Gershayim]] (a double geresh) to denote a Hebrew letter name (e.g., {{lang|he|למ״ד}} – the letter ''[[lamed]]'')
**Another (rarer) use of geresh is to denote the last syllable (which in some cases, but not all, is a [[suffix]]) in some words of [[Yiddish]] [[etymology|origin]] (e.g., {{lang|he|חבר׳ה, מיידל׳ה}}).
**In the [[Middle Ages]] and the [[Early modern period]], gershayim were also used to denote foreign words, as well as a means of [[Emphasis (typography)|emphasis]].
* In Italian, an apostrophe is sometimes used as a substitute for a [[Grave accent|grave]] or an [[acute accent]]. This may be done after an initial E or an accented final vowel (when writing in all-capitals), or when the proper form of the letter is unavailable for technical reasons. So a sentence beginning {{lang|IT|È vero che ...}} ('It is true that...') may be written as {{lang|IT|E' vero che ...}}. This form is often seen in newspapers, as it is the only case of an accent above the [[cap height]] and its omission permits the text to be more closely spaced ([[leading]]). Less commonly, a forename like {{lang|IT|Niccolò}} might be rendered as ''Niccolo{{'}}'', or ''NICCOLO{{'}}''; ''perché'', as ''perche{{'}}'', or ''PERCHE{{'}}''. This applies only to machine or computer writing, in the absence of a suitable keyboard. 
* In [[Jèrriais]], one of the uses of the apostrophe is to mark [[gemination]], or consonant length: For example, ''{{lang|nrf|t't}}'' represents {{IPA|/tː/}}, ''{{lang|nrf|s's}}'' {{IPA|/sː/}}, ''{{lang|nrf|n'n}}'' {{IPA|/nː/}}, ''{{lang|nrf|th'th}}'' {{IPA|/ðː/}}, and ''{{lang|nrf|ch'ch}}'' {{IPA|/ʃː/}} (contrasted with {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/s/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/ð/}}, and {{IPA|/ʃ/}}).
* In [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], the apostrophe is occasionally used to add a Lithuanized ending on an international word, e.g.- "parking'as", "Skype'as", "Facebook'as".
* In standard [[Lojban]] orthography, the apostrophe is a letter in its own right (called {{lang|jbo|y'y}} {{IPA|[əhə]}}) that can appear only between two vowels, and is phonemically realised as either [[voiceless glottal fricative|[h]]] or, more rarely, [[voiceless dental fricative|[θ]]].
*In [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] the apostrophe is sometimes used to represent the sound [[schwa]], which can be found on dialectal levels, but not in the Standard Macedonian.
*In [[Slovak language|Slovak]], the [[caron]] over lowercase ''t'', ''d'', ''l'', and uppercase ''L'' [[consonants]] resembles an apostrophe, for example, ''ď'', ''ť'', ''ľ'', and ''Ľ''. This is especially so in certain common typographic renderings. But it is non-standard to use an apostrophe instead of the caron. There is also ''l'' with an acute accent: ''ĺ'', ''Ĺ''. In Slovak the apostrophe is properly used only to indicate [[elision]] in certain words (''{{lang|sl|tys{{'}}}}'', as an abbreviated form of ''{{lang|sl|ty si}}'' ('you are'), or ''{{lang|sl|hor{{'}}}}'' for ''{{lang|sl|hore}}'' ('up')); however, these elisions are restricted to poetry (with a few exceptions). Moreover, the apostrophe is also used before a two-digit year number (to indicate the omission of the first two digits): ''{{lang|sl|{{'}}87}}'' (usually used for 1987).
* In [[Swahili language|Swahili]], an apostrophe after ''{{lang|sw|ng}}'' shows that there is no sound of {{IPA|/ɡ/}} after the {{IPA|/ŋ/}} sound; that is, that the ''{{lang|sw|ng}}'' is pronounced as in English ''singer'', not as in English ''finger''.
* In Switzerland, the apostrophe is used as [[thousands separator]] alongside the [[fixed space]] (e.g., 2'000'000 or {{val|2000000}} for two million) in all four [[languages of Switzerland|national languages]].
* In the new [[Uzbek alphabet|Uzbek Latin alphabet]] adopted in 2000, the apostrophe serves as a [[diacritic|diacritical mark]] to distinguish different phonemes written with the same letter: it differentiates ''{{lang|uz|o{{'}}}}'' (corresponding to Cyrillic ''[[Short U (Cyrillic)|ў]]'') from ''{{lang|uz|o}}'', and ''{{lang|uz|g{{'}}}}'' (Cyrillic ''[[Ghayn|ғ]]'') from ''{{lang|uz|g}}''. This avoids the use of special characters, allowing Uzbek to be typed with ease in ordinary [[ASCII]] on any Latin keyboard. In addition, a postvocalic apostrophe in Uzbek represents the glottal stop phoneme derived from Arabic ''[[hamza]]h'' or ''[[Ayin|'ayn]]'', replacing Cyrillic ''[[Yer|ъ]]''.
*In English [[Yorkshire dialect]], the apostrophe is used to represent the word ''the'', which is contracted to a more glottal (or 'unreleased') /t/ sound. Most users will write ''in t'barn'' ('in the barn'), ''on t'step'' ('on the step'); and those unfamiliar with Yorkshire speech will often make these sound like ''intuh barn'' and ''ontuh step''. A more accurate rendition might be ''in't barn'' and ''on't step'', though even this does not truly convey correct Yorkshire pronunciation as the ''t'' is more like a [[glottal stop]].
*In the [[pinyin]] (hànyǔ pīnyīn) system of [[romanization]] for [[Standard Chinese]], an apostrophe is often loosely said to separate syllables in a word where ambiguity could arise. Example: the standard romanization for the name of the city ''[[Xī'ān]]'' includes an apostrophe to distinguish it from a single-syllable word ''{{transliteration|cmn|xian}}''. More strictly, however, it is standard to place an apostrophe only before every ''a'', ''e'', or ''o'' that starts a new syllable after the first if it is not preceded by a hyphen or a dash. Examples: ''[[Tiananmen|Tiān'ānmén]]'', ''[[Yǎ'ān]]''; but simply ''[[Jǐnán]]'', in which the syllables are ''ji'' and ''nan'', since the absence of an apostrophe shows that the syllables are not ''jin'' and ''an'' (contrast ''[[Jīn'ān]]'').<ref>[http://www.pinyin.info/romanization/hanyu/apostrophes.html Apostrophes in Hanyu Pinyin: when and where to use them] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731010900/http://www.pinyin.info/romanization/hanyu/apostrophes.html |date=31 July 2010}}. Pinyin.info. Retrieved on 7 April 2013.</ref> This is a kind of morpheme-separation marking (see [[#To separate morphemes|above]]).
*In the largely superseded [[Wade-Giles|Wade–Giles]] romanization for Standard Chinese, an apostrophe marks [[Aspiration (phonetics)|aspiration]] of the preceding consonant sound. Example: in ''tsê'' (pinyin ''ze'') the consonant represented by ''ts'' is unaspirated, but in ''ts'ê'' (pinyin ''ce'') the consonant represented by ''ts{{'}}'' is aspirated. Some academic users of the system write this character as a [[spiritus asper]] ({{asper}} or {{wg-apos}}) or single left (opening) [[quotation mark]] (‘).
*In some systems of romanization for the Japanese, the apostrophe is used between [[Mora (linguistics)|moras]] in ambiguous situations, to differentiate between, for example, ''{{transliteration|ja|na}}'' and ''{{transliteration|ja|n}}''&nbsp;+&nbsp;''{{transliteration|ja|a}}''. (This is similar to the practice in Pinyin mentioned above.)
*In science fiction and fantasy, the apostrophe is often used in fictional names, sometimes to indicate a [[glottal stop]] (for example [[Mitth'raw'nuruodo]] in ''[[Star Wars]]''), but also sometimes simply for decoration.
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