Is punctuation a thing of the past?

[OrchidLass]

I mean even in the simplest ways, like dropping full stops at the end of a sentence? I was looking at a thread yesterday and practically every other post had no full stops and it pissed me off in a thoroughly irrational way! I'm used to seeing (and correcting) this with children, but not usually adults to be honest.

Do I need to put 'lighthearted' here to show that I'm not crying myself to sleep about this every night?

I think so. 😣

I don’t think threads on here are representing life. I for one write most of these on my phone, whilst feeding baby, often at 3am whilst sleep deprived. They are just glorified fast texts. I’m definitely not thinking of grammar whilst trying to stay awake.

Do you mean a thing of the past on MN or generally? If the latter then I don't believe it is. If the former then I agree with pp - MN is like texting and easy to get things wrong when you're typing on a phone and spellcheck has a mind of its own wrt apostrophes.

Some people are just very poorly educated, or a troll and some just can't be arsed.
You're hardly going to be conscientious as an individual in life if you can't even be bother to put a full stop.
It took me ages to work out what Iv meant!

@Caspianberg but some of the posts I saw were 3/4 paragraphs long. Surely, if someone is posting such lengthy posts, they are able to stick one more character on the end of each paragraph?

I always punctuate texts too, I can't help myself.

I did read somewhere that in modern ‘text speak’ putting a full stop at the end of a sentence is seen as aggressive.

I’m an editor and find this evolution of language use very interesting. I remember a colleague telling me some years ago that on the gaming boards he frequented it was a ‘thing’ to ‘accidentally’ mistype characters so eg 1 instead of I. To make yourself appear a bit more relaxed. I think this is where the term ‘pwned’ originates.

www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2015/dec/09/science-has-spoken-ending-a-text-with-a-full-stop-makes-you-a-monster

@underneaththeash

Some people are just very poorly educated, or a troll and some just can't be arsed. You're hardly going to be conscientious as an individual in life if you can't even be bother to put a full stop. It took me ages to work out what Iv meant!

I don't think your grammar reflects how conscientious you are as a person

I always punctuate, but I am aware that I am becoming more sloppy over time. I’m a lecturer and I would say there was a period about 10 years ago when the standard of grammar and punctuation plummeted amongst students, but currently it’s good. I had one student back then admit that he just randomly stuck apostrophes In because he “knew I liked them”. So maybe it’s a complicated age thing.

Susie Dent’s book is interesting too. It’s all about the specific ‘languages’ used by different groups in society:

www.waterstones.com/book/dents-modern-tribes/susie-dent/9781473623897

Well, you seem to have decided that commas aren't necessary, so, yes, going by your own writing, probably.

[quote SueGeneris]I did read somewhere that in modern ‘text speak’ putting a full stop at the end of a sentence is seen as aggressive.

I’m an editor and find this evolution of language use very interesting. I remember a colleague telling me some years ago that on the gaming boards he frequented it was a ‘thing’ to ‘accidentally’ mistype characters so eg 1 instead of I. To make yourself appear a bit more relaxed. I think this is where the term ‘pwned’ originates.

www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2015/dec/09/science-has-spoken-ending-a-text-with-a-full-stop-makes-you-a-monster[/quote]
That's fascinating, thank you!

What @SueGeneris said

I am also an editor and I consciously leave them out in texts and emails (depending on recipient). Part of communication is being aware of how your message is likely to be interpreted.

I don't think many people understand when it's ok, even if it annoys me, to leave out punctuation and when it's important. I see a lots of CVS and cover letters lacking both capitalisation and full stops.

No. It. Is. Not. A. Thing. Of. The. Past. One thread. With. No. Punctuation. Doesn't. Mean. It's. Dying. Out.

I hope not. I can forgive a misplaced comma or semi-colon but find posts that don't use capital letters and full stops really confusing and tiring to work out. I usually just give up reading the op. I also get irrationally annoyed when people don't bother capitalising I.

I don't recognise what you say about mumsnet to be fair. Where posters are writing several sentences in response, then I would definitely find it jarring if there were no full stops and I haven't had that experience.

OTOH if the thread is full of short, simple answers, like a 'What are you having for dinner?" thread, then I don't think full stops are necessary and I wouldn't even notice.

Yes.

Aren't more books being read than ever? It certainly feels that way with reviews everywhere. Punctuation is still found there- it won't disappear yet!

An OP recently wrote a post probably 20 or 30 lines long, with no punctuation, in a thread I read the other day. I had to give up as I couldnt make sense of it. I can deal with a couple of sentences that are not punctuated.

@cariadlet

I hope not. I can forgive a misplaced comma or semi-colon but find posts that don't use capital letters and full stops really confusing and tiring to work out. I usually just give up reading the op. I also get irrationally annoyed when people don't bother capitalising I.

As those of us who find this "hidden in plain sight" belittling of others whose SPaG skills may not be as good as our own often say- if you can't understand a forum post because of missing capital letters, then your own comprehension skills probably need a bit of work.

What @Legomania said!

The point about being aware of how your communication is likely to be interpreted is a very good one. I really struggle to use emojis to the right effect (and that is a whole other fascinating subject!) and I have great admiration for friends who are able to write messages that come across as friendly and funny without using exclamation marks, emojis or kisses. I think my personal messages to others often come across as a bit formal.

See also the more modern mode of sending messages one at a time, line by line - it’s more reflective of the natural flow of conversation, I think. Though very annoying in terms of endlessly pinging notifications!

There is a Nobel Prize winner book that has a part without punctuation

In texting and in forums like this, I do agree that it is more conversational so writing should reflect that. Example: "oooommmggg!! This you see THAT???!!!!!"

DH is an engineer so while he is brilliant at maths he cannot use punctuation to save his life. I have to go through his work reports and add punctuation although I have a feeling his colleagues wouldn't notice if there wasn't any either as long as he got the maths right! Some jobs it's important for but others it's seen as an ancient art!

@RainbowCrayons

DH is an engineer so while he is brilliant at maths he cannot use punctuation to save his life. I have to go through his work reports and add punctuation although I have a feeling his colleagues wouldn't notice if there wasn't any either as long as he got the maths right! Some jobs it's important for but others it's seen as an ancient art!

Same here. Dp assesses work place students. He has fantastic technical knowledge but always gives me his reports to check the spelling and grammar.

I think good SPaG is more important in some situations than others but basic punctuation does make writing clearer and more effortless to understand.

I teach Engineering at university and it is not normal for Engineers to neglect punctuation and grammar. Clear, precise communication is a basic engineering skill. It’s one of the things that is often mentioned by employers. I’ve known a director of a civil engineering contractor who marked and returned all his graduate engineers’ reports until they understood how important writing is. Most of the placement supervisors I work with are at least as hard on poor writing as I am.