When did punctuation become so emotional? A look back at its history helps explain its current controversial role in our texts.
The use of punctuation to grammatically mark a text was not prevalent until well after the Middle Ages.If you hang out with anyone under 30, you might have noticed that punctuation has been getting a bad rap lately, especially when it comes to texting. While putting a period at the end of a sentence might be seen as good grammatical form to some, many younger texters increasingly find that its usage comes across as insincere or even angry.
Around 200 BCE, Aristophanes, the librarian of Alexandria, devised a point system that was intended to instruct readers on appropriate pause lengths to heighten the rhetorical effect when reading aloud, as was the typical practice when reading texts at the time. century rarely used much more than a period to mark the end of related text units—what we might today call a paragraph.The modern function of punctuation, which is to separate phrases on the basis of their grammatical role , did not gain steam until about the 17th or 18th century, when reading as a silent and solitary pursuit became more prominent.
Because of the typically short form and line breaks involved in texting, punctuation is less necessary for its structural organization; research suggests thatand tone: The exclamation point points to one’s enthusiasm; the period, in contrast, becomes a mark of abruptness, proclaiming, “that’s the end of that.” As texting has gained momentum as a key form of social interaction, punctuation has been put to work as proxy for the non-verbal cues of face-to-face conversation.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A Soggy start to Sunny skies, a Chilly, Breezy start to SpringA Soggy start to Sunny skies, a Chilly, Breezy start to Spring
Read more »
Austin spring festival and event guide: Big events happening in March, April and May 2024Music wristbands start at $149, and Film & TV wristbands start at $120.
Read more »
Padres notes: Merrill's first hit and near miss; King's debut; Wade's hot startJackson Merrill gets his first hit, first double, almost gets a car; Michael King not pleased with his outing; Tyler Wade competed his way onto roster
Read more »
Prosecutors seek April 15 start date for Donald Trump hush-money trialProsecutors said in a court filing Thursday that the Trump legal team’s allegations were “wholly unfounded, and the circumstances here do not come close to warranting the extreme sancti…
Read more »
Home Depot’s Hubspace is a great way to start building your smart homeHubspace isn't as powerful as Alexa or Google Home, but its simple design makes it great for beginners. Here are our impressions of the smart home software.
Read more »
Prosecutors say Donald Trump's hush money trial should start April 15 without further delayNew York prosecutors have urged a judge to start Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial April 15, saying defense requests for further delays or dismissal of the case because of a last-minute evidence dump are a “red herring.”
Read more »