New punctuation: the irony mark (by K2)
Jan 28, 2010 22:17:55 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2010 22:17:55 GMT
Actually, this isn't new at all, because it was invented more than a century ago, but it never managed to catch on. And since it did not catch on, it was never completely standardized.
And yet the irony mark (or irony point) would be one of the most useful ones to use on the internet, where it is often difficult to make irony come across. (We had a member here, who disappeared, maybe from frustration - gyro - who often complained that his irony was not always understood. Perhaps this would have been perfect for him.)
The irony mark is used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level.
I would fully approve of a few more punctuation marks becoming available for general use, and quite a few proposals already exist:
the doubt point
the certitude point
the acclamation point
the authority point
the indignation point
(I'll try to get images of them if anybody is interested.)
The ancestor of the irony mark is said to have been the percontation point, which was used to mark rhetorical questions.
I really think that there would be some major advances in communication if some of these things were adopted, because I really can't imagine smileys ever being used in serious texts.
And yet the irony mark (or irony point) would be one of the most useful ones to use on the internet, where it is often difficult to make irony come across. (We had a member here, who disappeared, maybe from frustration - gyro - who often complained that his irony was not always understood. Perhaps this would have been perfect for him.)
The irony mark is used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level.
His speech wasn't boring at all 
That painting is really a masterpiece
Long live our military/industrial complex
That painting is really a masterpiece
Long live our military/industrial complex
I would fully approve of a few more punctuation marks becoming available for general use, and quite a few proposals already exist:
the doubt point
the certitude point
the acclamation point
the authority point
the indignation point
(I'll try to get images of them if anybody is interested.)
The ancestor of the irony mark is said to have been the percontation point, which was used to mark rhetorical questions.
I really think that there would be some major advances in communication if some of these things were adopted, because I really can't imagine smileys ever being used in serious texts.
I like that