As you can see, I’m writing in code. And it’s not to denote an expletive.
In this case, I’m using Emoticonese, the alphabet of punctuation 2.0.
My headline can be roughly translated as: ‘Mixed feelings for exclamation points’.
I started thinking about punctuation after reading a NY Times article on the use and overuse of exclamation points – or screamers – in emails.
I have to admit that for a long time I snubbed them too. I felt a screamer conveyed far too much emotion for business correspondence and maybe showed a bit too much of the real me??? I opted instead for the safe, steady and always reliable – period. (How very Canadian of me.)
It was the same with emoticons. I just wasn’t comfortable with their undulating playfulness … their winking joie de vivre.
You see, I was (and am) a big proponent of CP Style and proper grammar and usage.
But I also love innovation and change! I think it’s high time we repunctuated our language.
So how do we do that and add personality and flare to our writing?
Here are my suggestions:
- Don’t turn your back on the traditional; comma, period, semi- and colon all have their place.
- Savor screamers!!!! Or the screamer/question mark combo ??!!
- Embrace the emoticon – you’ll never know what kind of embrace you’ll get in return ;).
- Keep your caps for baseball games (unless that’s part of your personality THEN GO WITH IT)!
- Use italics for emphasis.
- Don’t forget the elipsis… ahh yes, the passing of time…
Like pretty much every form of communication, language is evolving and we need to make sure it’s crisp, clear, stylish and understandable. And that our real selves shine through.
So welcome punctuation 2.0, where you can explain, exclaim and proclaim to your heart’s content!!! ;). (OK, maybe a bit over the top, but you see where I’m going…)
Are you pro or against?? Let me know. I’m very interested to hear!!!
Hmm, not sure about this Martin. Although I’m guilty of using emoticons in e-mails, I never really feel right about doing so. It’s probably because I used them to soften a blow, help people read between the lines or to send a cryptic message that the words I chose were not really reflective of how I really felt. For example, I might say “I’ll forward the document to Lydia and hopefully she’ll have time to work on it :)”. Seems innocuous enough but the recipient knows that be including the happy face emoticon, what I’m really saying is “there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Lydia will get it done”.
On the other hand, in a world where every email we send has the possibility of ending up on the front page of the newspaper, emoticons let us convey our feelings, without indicting ourselves.
Know what I mean?
Good point, Louise. It’s been a long and winding road for me to adapt to some of the new rules (if I can borrow that metaphor). And coming from a world where the comma had a place, I now accept that a lot is in flux…
I read some time ago that if an email doesn’t show emotion through emoticons and punctuation that people will by default assume the message was negative in tone. Good for you to opt for more “joie de vivre!” 🙂
I personally think it’s important both to avoid misunderstanding but also to emphasize when it’s needed.
There’s a good book called Grammar Matters that argues grammar is not just about rules but rather how people shape language. I think that applies here even though we’re talking about punctuation.
Thanks for your comments! When you think about it, it’s fascinating how grammar these days seems to be a combination of established rules meet personal preference/style.
I guess the big thing is to be yourself, understandable, and flexible…
And we probably need a gentle guiding hand so there’s a bit consistency.
I’ve admitted this before, but I’m definitely an exclamation lover. Within personal communications, I use it liberally. It’s fun!
That being said, within a professional sense, I definitely “savour” it. I find when you use it too often you become a lazy writer. It’s easy to rely on it instead of taking the time to construct a strong sentence that makes an impact.
I also despise caps – using bold is so much better!!! <– See? Addicted.
For the most part for, except for caps and overusing the screamers. I am a big fan of the emoticon, mainly because I 🙂 a lot in real life.
I think all caps should never be used, even if it is part of your personality, feels like the person is yelling at me.
The English language is an organic language, not static, so it will continue to evolve over the years.
I heartily agree with your recommendations. Flexibility is warranted, which for years was my biggest complaint about the CP Style. The rigid rule about “Canadian spelling except where US is shorter” -easier on the typesetters, presumably – led all Canadian papers for years to drop the “u” from colour, labour etc and led to the use of weird Americanisms that had long since disappeared in the US, such as “cigaret” or “omelet”. I know the CP Style has changed, but I could never quite forgive them for past transgressions, which is why I was glad when the Globe published their own manual in the early 90s, which I still fine useful…