Language Agenda: "Women's Day" and "Women Day"

The Writer

Introduction
The phrase "women's day" is relatively known and grammatically right. The phrase "women day" is relatively unknown BUT grammatically RIGHT. Kaman wula? Hahahahaha!

Justification
"Women's day" is in line with the principle of "S-Possessive". By this principle, the morpheme "s", preceeded or followed by an apostrophe, is attached to a noun to indicate possession or ownership. Similar examples are:

● Azindoo's car. (apostrophe before "s" indicating that the the car is owned by Azindoo)

● Ladies' wear. (Apostrophe after "s" indicating that the wear is for ladies)

Contrarily, "women day" is a structure reflecting the rule of "Noun Adjunct." According to this rule, a noun assumes the role of an adjective and qualifies another noun. Similar examples are:

● Ghana flag. ("Ghana" functions as an adjective qualifying "flag")

● Men perfume. ("Men" functions as an adjective qualifying "perfume")

It is instructive to contrast the above phrases with their "S-Possessive" versions.

● Ghana's flag.
● Men's perfume.
Literature on the rule of Noun Adjunct reveals that the noun-turned-adjective used to be in singular form only. But some modern grammarians now accept the use of plural nouns as qualifying adjectives in the rule of Noun Adjunct.

Conclusion
Dear reader, the choice is yours. It is justifiable to use "women's day" or "women day." But please, always be mindful of the apostrophe before the "s." This way, you would avoid a a grammatical disaster that could be occasioned by the phrase "WOMENS DAY." 😅😅😅😅!

Dedication
This discourse is dedicated to all women as the world, today, celebrates the International Women's Day. May Allah bless women and grant them the wisdom to recognize men as legitimate partners in domestic, national, and global affairs.

Allah is is the Best Grammarian.
Abubakar Mohammed Marzuq Azindoo,
Lecturer, University of Applied Management, Germany - McCarthy Hill, Accra.