[subego]

Read an article which said the lack of periods in texting is making the period seem more aggressive.

I'm not posting it, because I think it misses the boat. IME, the period is starting to read differently due to the ascendancy of exclamation points.

Discuss!

[The Final Dakar]

haven't seen that. I consider apostrophes optional. If it weren't for autocorrect I'd use them infrequently.

Exclamation points should be banned from female use. Or maybe we make an exception where, if you feel you need five or more then we'll let you have one.

[subego]

I feel a texted sentence without an exclamation point lacks a certain "oomph". The weird thing isn't that the sentence needs the oomph, but the lack of it denotes ambivalence.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

I feel a texted sentence without an exclamation point lacks a certain "oomph". The weird thing isn't that the sentence needs the oomph, but the lack of it denotes ambivalence.

The truth is we use all caps in place of it most of the time.

[subego]

All caps isn't yelling to you?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

All caps isn't yelling to you?

How is seven exclamation points not yelling!!!!!!!!

[subego]

No caps.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

No caps.

So what does seven exclamation points sound like to you?

[subego]

Excitement!!!

[Demonhood]

All the exclamation points only sound like yelling for the last word. ALL CAPS IS TOTALLY YELLING ALL THE TIME.

[subego]

What I like about separating exclamation points from volume is I feel it gives you more options.

You can mix and match caps with exclamation points to get various degrees of meaning.

Likewise if you reserve caps for yelling and use *asterisks* for emphasis.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Demonhood 

All the exclamation points only sound like yelling for the last word. ALL CAPS IS TOTALLY YELLING ALL THE TIME.

A single exclamation point is supposed to pertain to the entire exclamation. Why would more of them change that?!?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

A single exclamation point is supposed to pertain to the entire exclamation. Why would more of them change that?!?

That'd be like changing the pronunciation of a word because you kept adding letters to the endddddddddddd

[subego]

You lost me on that one...

Maybe I've fallen right into your "gotcha", but you don't pronounce "end" and "endddddddd" differently?

[andi*pandi]

^I do. It implies the word is drawn out.

Number of exclamation points indicates, to me, a gradual increase in enthusiasm. As demonhead says, the volume is not ON/off, but can gradually build to 11, at which points caps become both redundant and mandatory.

Time to head home!
My husband made dinner!!
It's my favorite!!!
And tonight I have some Doctor Who to watch!!!!
SQUEEEEE!!!!1!!

[Laminar]

Rate these from least to most sincere:

1. No caps, no period:


2. All caps:


3. Period:


4. Exclamation point:


5. Proverbial teenage girl:

[ghporter]

When I text, I (as far as I can tell) always use complete words and sentences, and I use fairly appropriate punctuation. As a tech writer I found that the easiest way to reduce the readability of a piece of text, no matter how short, was to mess up the punctuation. As the editor of other tech writers, I had to point out structural and spelling issues, among other things, and that forced me to watch my own structure and spelling - and punctuation. Now it's hard for me to use non-standard contractions, let alone something like typical text shortcuts because I want my writing to be at least probably understandable to someone who can read English.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by subego 

Read an article which said the lack of periods in texting is making the period seem more aggressive.
!

F@ck. That.

-t

[osiris]

Altering basic grammar, regardless of the media employed, destroys the basic fabric of society and is morally wrong.
You corrupt heathens better repent.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Altering basic grammar, regardless of the media employed, destroys the basic fabric of society and is morally wrong.
You corrupt heathens better repent.

I've been a corrupt heathen for a while. What should I do?

[osiris]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

I've been a corrupt heathen for a while. What should I do?

Drink heavily.

[Shaddim]

It's a trend I can't say I'm fond of. Do you believe it's somewhat linked to prevailing hostility and aggression online? Is it all part of the technological veil?

[BadKosh]

Its like kids not learning cursive writing. Its more of a dumbing down and a lack of discipline.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

It's a trend I can't say I'm fond of. Do you believe it's somewhat linked to prevailing hostility and aggression online? Is it all part of the technological veil?

I think it's a combination of laziness and conditioning.
It all started with LOL, LMAO, and IMO, but it has roots in early radio: SOS, SOL.

Perhaps the next evolutionary step is to omit punctuation: JHC SOS! will now be JHC SOS

I don't like it one bit - I spend a lifetime learning to speak pretty and write good.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

It's a trend I can't say I'm fond of. Do you believe it's somewhat linked to prevailing hostility and aggression online? Is it all part of the technological veil?

It's about efficiency and expediency. If you can communicate the same sentiment with one less keystroke, why not do so. (And on touchscreens, those keystrokes tend to require more work)

[andi*pandi]

When I had a phone where I had to press a button 4 times to get the desired character, brevity was more important and punctuation be damned.

Now that I have a smartphone, I tend to use the same grammar I would here. Or, whatever siri translates my words into as I usually bypass typing.

Abbreviations are ok if commonly understood. KWIM?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by BadKosh 

Its like kids not learning cursive writing. Its more of a dumbing down and a lack of discipline.

If your endorsement of cursive writing is the discipline required to use it, its pretty clear why its fell out of disuse.

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Abbreviations are ok if commonly understood. KWIM?

Kwat?

[mattyb]

Swype? Or whatever its called in Android 4.3? No excuses for shortening words anymore.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Swype? Or whatever its called in Android 4.3? No excuses for shortening words anymore.

He said on an Apple forum

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Kwat?

Reportd

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

He said on an Apple forum

Three people who replied to this thread have Andoid phones that I know of. Isn't Swype, or the same sort of functionality, available for the iPhone?

[subego]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Isn't Swype, or the same sort of functionality, available for the iPhone?

[subego]

Not only do I use standard texting contractions with my ex, I liberally slather with phonetic spellings and 4chanisms.

I'll show you passive aggressive!!!

[Phileas]

I tend to dictate texts, so they'll come with a full set of proper punctuation. Because, why not.

We also have a client who has requested that our team should never use exclamation marks unless there's a real need for one. This has caused some of our younger staff problems to the point that I have taped red dots over the exclamation mark key on their keyboards. Not kidding.

No idea why Apple is resisting Swype or a similar text input mechanism. It is the best, fastest and easiest way to use a keyboard on a phone.

[Spheric Harlot]

From what I've read, swype is no faster than the iPhone keyboard.

It may feel faster. Similar to the studies where command-line junkies claimed they were way faster than using a mouse, but actually took longer to accomplish similar tasks.
And of course, for one-handed use, it's (reportedly) a lot nicer. But how to tell whether a user is using it one-handed?

I use exclamation marks for emphasis. If I wouldn't "exclaim" or be most emphatic in real life, I wouldn't use an exclamation mark in text.

I suppose the inflationary use correlates with ROFL and LOL, etc, neither of which tend to denote action even remotely of the scale they claim.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by BadKosh 

Its like kids not learning cursive writing. Its more of a dumbing down and a lack of discipline.

He writes, omitting an apostrophe.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

From what I've read, swype is no faster than the iPhone keyboard.

Which leaves easiest and best

The speed advantage might very well be negligible, but once you get used to Swype, typing on a phone feels clunky and difficult. I hate using small keyboards of any kind, so I try to dictate whenever possible. If it isn't, Swype is the next best thing for me.

I think there is an iPhone version out there, at least there was at some point, but you have to copy and paste the typed content into the application you wish to use. Which, of course, makes it useless.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

He writes, omitting an apostrophe.

Actually, two of them, if I'm not mistaken.

[Spheric Harlot]

Yep.

[lpkmckenna]

I find it almost impossible to buy the notion that the period's meaning is changing because of texting. I mean, doesn't every single smartphone now auto-insert periods with a double-space?

And I don't care what anyone says, I will use the Oxford comma until I die.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

a double-space?

wat

[osiris]

Doesn't double space make a period in iOS?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Doesn't double space make a period in iOS?

I had no idea

[Spheric Harlot]

Yep. Double-space in iOS makes a full stop followed by a single space.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I had no idea

reported

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

I will use the Oxford comma until I die.

Same here. So damn useful.

[angelmb]

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by BadKosh 

Its like kids not learning cursive writing. Its more of a dumbing down and a lack of discipline.

This is a problem on a number of levels.

Transitioning from block/printing to cursive is both a rite of passage for elementary school students and a developmental stage for their brains and their entire physical coordination systems. While "educators" deprecate cursive as outmoded or unnecessary, they fail to see the underlying skills that are built by teaching cursive, and thus they miss the benefits that come from teaching it.

Without the transition to fluid letter formation, children miss out on the synthesis of connecting simple forms into complex, flowing forms, which impairs their abilities in a number of areas. Not only is fine motor coordination not as well developed in children who do not learn cursive, more abstract impacts, such as decreased gross motor coordination in transitional movements (diagonal and circular movements, for example), and there is evidence that certain types of logical reasoning are less well developed in such children as well.

On the surface, it looks like lazy schools, but when you look deeper, it is actually a product of dumbed-down educators.

[subego]

I did the absolute minimum I could get away with for cursive. To this day I write in ALL CAPS.

[Laminar]

What are you, an engineer?