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While we may be punctuating less as a whole (a recent study found that only 39 percent of college students punctuate the end of texts and 45 percent the end of instant messages), the punctuation we do use is more likely to be scrutinized. "Digital punctuation can carry more weight than traditional writing because it ends up conveying tone, rhythm and attitude rather than grammatical structure," said Ben Zimmer, a linguist and the executive editor of Vocabulary.com. "It can make even a lowly period become freighted with special significance."

The correct use of punctuation can really improve someone's opinion of you. The author of this piece decided to go out with someone based on their use of punctuation in a text message. The author also discusses how we have been conditioned to read certain punctuation marks and how they correlate to tone of voice in the text message. Punctuation marks are an important aspect of language that can help convey a meaning in a text.

This article examines the decline of punctuation in today's messaging world. Internet language has become its own, separate language with its own grammar and vocabulary. In internet language, messages are shortened and punctuation is rarely used. When punctuation is used, the recipient reads into the message. Punctuation, like emojis, is used to express emotions not to mark the end of a thought.

"According to Rosemary Feal, executive director of the MLA, [the American style] was instituted in the early days of the Republic in order 'to improve the appearance of the text. A comma or period that follows a closing quotation mark appears to hang off by itself and creates a gap in the line (since the space over the mark combines with the following word space).'" Ironically, though, this article only uses the "logical punctuation" style once - in the title.

I love it when punctuation marks fit neatly within the quotation. The opposite makes me feel strangely queasy...

Article talks re: the changing nature of a period. Its original function, to indicate the end of a thought, has become obsolete in texting, because of the ability to "send". Now the period can be used to indicate seriousness or a sense of finality. But caution is needed, said linguist Gretchen McCulloch, noting that problems can start to arise when you combine a period with a positive sentiment, such as "Sure" or "Sounds good." "Now you've got positive words and serious punctuation and the clash between them is what creates that sense of passive-aggression," said McCulloch. Binghamton University psychology professor Celia Klin says a period can inadvertently set a tone, because while text messaging may function like speech, it lacks many of the expressive features of face-to-face verbal communication, like "facial expressions, tone of voice, our ability to elongate words, to say some things louder, to pause." Our language has evolved, and "what we have done with our incredible linguistic genius is found ways to insert that kind of emotional, interpersonal information into texting using what we have," said Klin. "And what we have is things like periods, emoticons, other kinds of punctuation. So people have repurposed the period to mean something else."

How many times have your teachers or editors told you that every word counts? Now, it turns out that every character you send counts, too. In fact, it turns out that the best way to punctuate a text message may be by not punctuating it at all: Researchers at Binghampton University have found that ending your text with a period - full stop - may make you seem more insincere.

Article discusses the changing meaning of a period in texting: how the punctuation mark that used to simply show the end of a thought has taken on a new, irate persona. In texting, a line break shows neutrality. Guess it's time to resort to face-to-face conversations, eh? Eliminates ambiguity. (That last period has friendly intentions, BTW!). Great article: who knew parsing punctuation was fraught with such social peril?

Of course, had she inserted too many marks, that may have been a problem, too, as there is suddenly a very fine line between appearing overeager (too much punctuation) and dismissive (not enough). Even the period, once the most benign of the punctuation spectrum, now feels aggressive.

This article talks about how with our changing world is dealing with new ways of communication.

An anonymous self-styled 'grammar vigilante' has revealed that he has spent years changing offending shop signs in the dead of night. Wielding an 'apostrophiser' - a broom handle laden with two sponges and a number of stickers - the man has corrected tens of missing and misplaced apostrophes on shop banners across Bristol, England over the past 13 years.

On the face of it, punctuation is not the most electrifying of subjects. A comma is a comma, a period is a period, and a semicolon is an argument waiting to happen. Look past squabbles over grammar, however, and punctuation's staid veneer peels back to reveal a seething, Darwinian struggle that has played out over two millennia of the written word.

Linguist David Crystal opines that one of the oldest forms of punctuation may be dying. The period - the full-stop signal we all learn as children, whose use stretches back at least to the Middle Ages - is gradually being felled in the barrage of instant messaging that has become synonymous with the digital age. The conspicuous omission of the period in text messages and in instant messaging on social media, Crystal says, is a product of the punctuation-free staccato sentences favored by millennials - and increasingly their elders - a trend fueled by the freewheeling style of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.

LONDON - One of the oldest forms of punctuation may be dying The period - the full-stop signal we all learn as children, whose use stretches back at least to the Middle Ages - is gradually being felled in the barrage of instant messaging that has become synonymous with the

The author of this article discusses the study she conducted that explored how punctuation is used in texts to convey tone. The participants in the study consisted of 122 college-aged students (mostly from Boston College), and they were surveyed to gather data and responses. The discussion of the study shows trends in how text messages are interpreted and how subtle changes in text punctuation can alter the meaning or tone of the message.

Examines whether you can tell someone's gender from the punctuation/moticons someone uses online

"People don't know why they get so upset about language," David Crystal told me recently, over Skype from his home in Wales. " 'Potato's,' with an apostrophe 'S,' " he offered, as an example of the kind of thing that drives some people batty, "but you ask them, 'Why are you so upset?', and they can't answer you."

This article brings about the topic of how people end their emails differently. In the recent past, it has been deemed "cool" to have an email signature that read "Sent from my iPhone". Now, however, this is seen as generic. People are coming up with new ways to sign their emails that are original. They also aim to include personality and tone. This is proven to be challenging for many people because signatures are generally short. Email signatures can not only help indicate whether a person is professional or not, but also whether the person is irritated, silly, rushed, etc.

This article covers a few of the same things people covered from their recent projects. It is centered around the tone of emails and what makes that tone- words like "hi" vs. "hey", emoji use, punctuation, and response time. It also brings up an interesting point. "Research has found that when parties are getting along, they tend to mimic each other's subtle speech patterns".

Article looks at the linguistic shift away from the older generation "you're welcome" to "no problem" or "no worries." The article notes that formal language is unquestionably falling by the wayside, likely due to the increasing use of digital technology. Instant messaging and texting have compelled many young people to forgo punctuation altogether, since receiving a message with a period or question mark at the end of it can induce anxiety for some. This is because punctuation is now considered "formal," which roughly translates to "serious."The same is true for "you're welcome," according to linguists, and it might explain why younger generations are using less formal phrases when someone thanks them. While some people might mistakenly think that doing so suggests that the service was irksome or inconvenient, the linguists cited in the article contribute this phenomenon largely to linguistic mirroring. This basically means if the people you interact with on a day-to-day basis often say "you're welcome" or "no problem," then you'll likely mirror whatever phrase is more frequently being used around you. "I believe that this is just part of the evolution of language," adds Saccardi. "The majority of speakers will not intellectualize the connotative meanings of their utterances. Rather, they are more likely to just use particular phrases instead of others because that's what they have grown into." Interestingly, the phrase "you're welcome" has acquired a new meaning for younger generations, as many use it sarcastically to point out that another person forgot to thank them, as in Maui's song in _Moana_.

Though newspaper style guides attempt to steer writers and editors through the trickier waters of the English language and try to confer consistency in grammar, punctuation and spelling, their well-intended prescriptivism may result in confusion and controversy. Take, for instance, the term "actor".

This is about how text messaging has been affecting a student's way of writing in the classroom.

Slang and other text-talk terms have been making their way into student's academic essays and even their college essays. Students have stopped capitalizing words and stopped using punctuation altogether. While the future is unclear, it may be possible for academic writings to learn to accept this new way of writing.

An article about how and when to use the different types of dashes in English (figure dash, en dash and em dash).

A lady contemplates the exponential usage of exclamation points in writing and the effects of such over usage (happy a lot, but over nothing)

Screens have changed our reading patterns from the linear, left-to-right sequence of years past to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information. One 2006 study of the eye movements of 232 people looking at Web pages found they read in an "F" pattern, scanning all the way across the top line of text but only halfway across the next few lines, eventually sliding their eyes down the left side of the page in a vertical movement toward the bottom. None of this is good for our ability to comprehend deeply, scientists say. Reading text punctuated with links leads to weaker comprehension than reading plain text, several studies have shown. A 2007 study involving 100 people found that a multimedia presentation mixing words, sounds and moving pictures resulted in lower comprehension than reading plain text did. Slow reading means a return to a continuous, linear pattern, in a quiet environment free of distractions. Advocates recommend setting aside at least 30 to 45 minutes in a comfortable chair far from cellphones and computers. Some suggest scheduling time like an exercise session. Many recommend taking occasional notes to deepen engagement with the text.