Re: [tied] Evening/Night (was Re: The "Mother" Problem)

At 21:56:05 on Thursday, 10 February 2005, Peter P wrote:

> Here's a question. Where does the apostrophe s come from.
> I am under the impression that it stands for 'his'. "Bill
> his hat", or am I totally wrong?

It does not; it simply continues and generalizes the <-es>
genitive of OE and ME. You do find the construction 'Bill
his hat' in the 15th and 16th centuries, but it's an
innovation existing side by side with, e.g., 'Bill(e)s hat'.

Brian