Decoding of punctuation marks of the Russian language. The meaning, function and role of punctuation marks in Russian. When punctuation marks are needed

Punctuation - a system of graphical non-alphabetic characters and rules codifying the norms of punctuation of a written text - has been and remains one of the most important sections of linguistics, the study of which at all times was as relevant and controversial as the use of one or another sign in a particular text was interpreted ambiguously.
M. V. Lomonosov, J. K. Grot, A. B. Shapiro, V. I. Klassovsky, S. I. Abakumov, L. V. Shcherba, A. M. Peshkovsky, L. A. Bulakhovsky, A. A. Reformatsky, I. A. Baudouin de Courtenay, V. A. Itskovich, L. G. Vedenina, N. S. Valgina, A. B. Penkovsky, B. S. Schwarzkopf, D. E. Rosenthal - this is incomplete a list of prominent Russian scientists, whose scientific works and practical manuals have created the foundation of punctuation both in the scientific direction and in the course in the Russian punctuation school.

Punctuation as a graphic system functioning in the modern Russian literary language has evolved in the history of the Russian language, changing graphically, fundamentally and qualitatively. These changes took place and are happening constantly, they reflect the life of the language, and therefore the rules, stable and legalized by special documents, always inevitably lag behind their time, since they fix a certain time period, and the practice of using punctuation marks always depends on the reasons for linguistic and extra-linguistic (extralinguistic ) character.

Fundamental electricality Russian punctuation system is already becoming a recognized fact, and less and less voices are heard demanding to unify, simplify, bring all the rules under a single criterion, and eliminate the facultative nature of their use. Recognizing the multiplicity and diversity of factors that determine the choice and use of the sign. It is possible to determine the functional significance of punctuation marks, but this is difficult to do, since the current system of rules is both rigid, strictly regulated, and flexible, open to variable use. It is generally accepted that the punctuation rules in force in modern Russian writing are, for the most part, optional. This is precisely what is considered the main property of punctuation, which makes it possible to communicate accuracy, expressiveness, and consistency to written speech.

The influence of context on the choice of a sign has long been noted by researchers. However, continuing this thought, we can talk about the context of a separate sentence that determines the arrangement of punctuation marks. The influence of the context of an individual sentence can be understood in another way: when the choice of the only possible sign is dictated not by the lexical composition of the sentence, but only by the author's attitude. In this regard, linguists are faced with the task of clarifying the distinction between optional punctuation marks and copyright marks.
The choice of the research direction is determined by the problems associated with the functional essence of punctuation, which is found in the fixation of the signs of common meanings, in the stability and regularity of their application. It is the functional significance of punctuation that conceals the rich possibilities of using signs in different styles, genres, types of literature, in different texts and discourses. This determines the relevance of this study.

The object of the research is the functional field of punctuation marks in a literary text. The subject of the research is the author's punctuation in the language of fiction of the first third of the XX century.
The purpose of the thesis is to investigate the system of functioning of punctuation marks in a literary text, correlating it with the system of signs in the Russian literary language. To achieve this goal, the following specific tasks are being solved:
1) consider the formation and development of the system of punctuation marks in the history of the Russian language;
2) describe the principles of Russian punctuation;
3) determine the functional significance of punctuation marks;
4) to identify the connection between punctuation and the nature of syntactic constructions in modern Russian;
5) analyze the syntactic arrangement of punctuation marks;
6) show the connection of punctuation with the actual division of the sentence;
7) establish the role of punctuation in communicative syntax;
8) show the variable nature of Russian punctuation;
9) assess the nature of the norm for the use of punctuation marks in copyright texts;
10) determine the author's punctuation and the principles of its design in the language of fiction (using the example of Russian literature of the 1st third of the 20th century);
11) explore the rhythmic and melodic functions of the author's signs in the language of fiction.
The circle of problems formed above determined the choice of the main research methods, the most important of which is the method of directed scientific observation of the punctuation marks in literary texts of the writers of the 1st third of the 20th century, as well as the method of linguistic description, the method of classification of punctuation marks, the statistical method, the specific situational method. ... The complexity of the application of the indicated methods is intended to ensure the multidimensionality of field linguistic analysis in the interaction of codified punctuation marks and labeled graphic units.

The following provisions are submitted to the defense:
1) Unlike spelling, punctuation is more international, it is seen as the result of a long and complex interaction of punctuation marks in a number of languages.
2) Russian punctuation was formed under the influence of three directions prevailing in modern syntax - logical, syntactic and intonational.
3) The gap between the codified norm and the use in the field of written speech is objectively due to the specifics of the punctuation norm, which should be considered as a communicative-pragmatic norm.
4) Fluctuations in the use of punctuation marks are a mandatory form of functioning of the punctuation system and a way of resolving intrasystemic contradictions.
5) The use of punctuation marks, qualified as non-normative and even erroneous, testifies to the emerging new systemic properties of Russian punctuation.
6) In modern Russian, the ability of punctuation marks to increase the information content of a written message is growing.
7) Varying in written language, punctuation marks graphically reflect a variety of semantic relationships of grammatical units.
8) The most essential and productive function of copyright signs is semantic accentuation, highlighting a particular syntagma and strengthening the role of text components.

The scientific novelty of the research is determined by an integrated approach in the description and analysis of the author's punctuation marks, in the generalization of observations on the punctuation of a literary text by a number of writers of the 1st third of the 20th century.
The theoretical significance of the study is determined by the fact that the comprehensive analysis of the author's punctuation marks of a number of writers of the 1st third of the 20th century, carried out in it, can contribute to a deeper and more systematic coverage and study of the problem of the interaction of the punctuation system in the literary language and in the artistic space of a particular writer.
The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that its results can be used in the development of problems in scientific and practical punctuation, in the preparation of lecture courses and practical classes on the history of the Russian language, punctuation of the modern Russian language, stylistics and culture of speech.
The material for the study was the literary texts of M. Gorky, as well as the poetic texts of V. Mayakovsky and M. Tsvetaeva.
Approbation of work. According to the results of the study, reports and reports were made at scientific conferences held at meetings of the Department of Foreign Languages ​​(Moscow State Academy of Water Transport), at the Department of Slavic Philology (Moscow State Regional University). The main provisions of the work formed the basis of a course of lectures on the subject "Russian language and culture of speech."

FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF PUNCTUATION SIGNS IN THE HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

1.1. The theory of punctuation in the works of scholars of historical and modern linguistics
The history of Russian punctuation has not been studied fully and deeply enough. The statement made by Shapiro back in 1955 is still relevant to this day: “Russian punctuation has not yet been scientifically researched. As a system of rules, it was covered mainly in works on grammar (M. V. Lomonosov, A. A. Barsov, A. Kh. Vostokov, F. I. Buslaev, etc.). Special works devoted to punctuation are rare ... We do not have a history of Russian punctuation either ”(Shapiro, 1955, 3).
There are only a few studies that address the emergence and development of Russian punctuation. A brief outline of the history of punctuation before the beginning of the 18th century can be found in the article by II Sreznevsky "On Russian spelling". Particular issues of the development of punctuation are dealt with by V. Klassovskiy in his work "Punctuation marks in the five most important languages." An attempt to determine the development of punctuation at its origins is made by S. A. Bulich in his article "Interpuncture". Statements about the origin and development of punctuation are available in A. Gusev's work "Punctuation marks (punctuation) in connection with a brief teaching about a sentence and other marks in the Russian written language."

L. V. Shcherba in the article "Punctuation" expressed some thoughts about the use of punctuation marks in ancient Russian writing. But the most valuable among the works on the history of punctuation are the scientific works of S. I. Abakumov. His research "Punctuation in the monuments of Russian writing of the XI-XVII centuries." is an essay on the history of Russian punctuation.
The works of K. I. Belov are devoted to the study of punctuation of individual monuments: “From the history of Russian punctuation of the 16th century”, where punctuation of “Domostroy” is studied, and “From the history of Russian punctuation of the 17th century,” which analyzes the use of punctuation marks in the “Cathedral Code of 1649 ". However, the listed works do not give a sufficient idea of ​​the development of Russian punctuation and do not fully reflect the peculiarities of the use of punctuation marks.
Traditionally, it is believed that the basis of punctuation is syntax. S. K. Bulich wrote: "Interpunction makes the syntactic structure of speech clear, highlighting individual sentences and parts of sentences." indications of grammatical connection or the difference between sentences and their parts and to distinguish sentences on the expression thereof "(Grech, 1827, 512). S. I. Abakumov defended the semantic purpose of punctuation:" The main purpose of punctuation is to indicate the division of speech into parts that are important for expressing thoughts in writing "(Abakumov 1950, 5) A. A. Vostokov, I. I. Davydov, A. M. Peshkovsky believed that the main purpose of punctuation is to convey the intonation side of speech. structural and semantic principle She considers it necessary to take into account semantic and grammatical features when using punctuation marks. , considered SI Abakumov, in many cases it can be understood with sufficient clarity only by understanding the grammatical structure of the language. During this period, the foundations of Russian punctuation began to take shape.

However, almost before the invention of typography, we do not find a certain punctuation in the samples of ancient writing, although some of its rudiments were observed in the time of Aristotle in the Greek written language. So, for example, the point at the top of the letter corresponded to the current point, opposite the middle of the letter - a colon, and at the bottom of the letter - a comma. However, the use of a dot as a thought-separating sign was not considered obligatory.
Unlike spelling, punctuation is more international, therefore it should be considered as the result of a long interaction of the punctuation features of the Russian language with the features of other languages ​​of the world. Aristophanes of Byzantium was the first to use punctuation marks. We find clear hints of punctuation marks in Aristotle: the dot at the bottom of the letter (A.) corresponded to the present comma, against the letter (A) - a colon, and against the top (A) - a point. And at the beginning of the 1st century. BC. the system of punctuation marks was already realized theoretically and was set forth by the Greek grammar Dionysius of Thrace in the book "Grammatical Art". He distinguished three punctuation marks:
1) a point is a sign of a complete thought,
2) the middle point is a sign of rest,
3) a small dot is a sign of a thought that is not yet complete, but in need of continuation.
* Thus, the point was revived before all signs.
In the middle of the 1st century BC. NS. punctuation is influenced by the dominant role of Roman science, but no fundamentally new punctuation has been created. Nevertheless, there were some differences in Greek and Latin punctuation, and, as a result, in the history of punctuation it is customary to distinguish between Greek and Latin punctuation traditions. Later, these differences will be reflected in Western European punctuation systems.

By the 10th century, that is, by the time the Slavic Cyril writing was invented, the following signs were already in use in Greek and Latin manuscripts:
1) cross (+),
2) various combinations of dots (.... ~: ~),
3) point (.),
4) semicolon (; or.,),
5) two semicolons (,),
6) comma (,),
7) a group of commas (,).
The division of phrases into words was not known to Russian manuscripts. Points were placed in the intervals between non-segmented text segments.
In the middle of speech, they used only one punctuation mark - a period, and that was accidental, inappropriate; as the final sign, they used four dots on the cross (.) or another similar combination of signs, and then a line.

PUNCTUATION OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS OF THE XI-XIV CENTURIES

RUSSIAN PUNCTUATION OF THE XV – XVII CENTURIES

In early printed books, when words were already separated from each other, the graphical arsenal of Russian punctuation was significantly enriched: in addition to a period, a comma, a semicolon, and a colon began to be used to divide the line. Points of different types are distinguished: the term - the point in the middle of the line - and the point itself, which was put at the bottom, and the points could be of different sizes and colors. However, having mastered the external difference of signs, the scribes sometimes did not know what to do with this difference, therefore, not only in the XIV-XV, but also in the XVI-XVII centuries. there are texts with indistinct opposition of signs not only by drawing, but also by purpose.
The traditions of Cyril's writing in the use of various punctuation marks were dominant in Russia until the 16th century. In the magnificent Four Gospels of 1537, it is customary to sharply separate expressions, putting thick periods or commas between them, and each expression was written completely together.

Since the 16th century, the principle of separate writing of words has been established in handwritten editions, and later - the use of punctuation marks between words, sentences and other syntactic constructions. This custom of writing becomes a tradition that has been supported by a new way of creating manuscripts - typography. The first works on grammar appear, in which some attention is paid to punctuation. These articles were published by Yagich in his work "Discourse of the Old on the Church Slavonic Language." (Studies in the Russian language, vol. 1. Sat, 1885-1895). A common feature of all articles was their anonymity, and most often the authors could not be identified. In some articles, punctuation marks were only named, in others their use was determined. As S. I. Abakumov notes, the statements about punctuation set forth in the works of Russian scribes of the 16th-17th centuries were based, no doubt, on the Greek punctuation tradition, but at the same time they were not a cast from some Greek original: they were created on Russian soil, based on the existing punctuation practice.

Special mention should be made of the work of Maxim the Greek "On the grammar of the Monk Maximus the Greek, the work of the holy mountaineer is announced for subtlety." It devotes relatively little space to punctuation issues. The main sign of Russian writing M. Grek considered a comma and called it subdiastoli.
In his opinion, the comma indicates the incompleteness of the action and allows the speaker to pause while reading.
The next punctuation mark is the dot, which marked the end of the utterance. The third punctuation mark is the subdiastoli with a dot, which the Greek recommends to indicate a question. Thus, M. Grek emphasizes only the intonation value in the use of punctuation marks. At the same time, he tries to concretize their use by delimiting the functions of "comma and semicolon."
The statements about punctuation in the works of Russian scribes were based on Greek punctuation, but the system of punctuation means was formalized on Russian soil, the traditions of which were formed by practice.

In 1563, the first Russian printing house appeared in Moscow, and in 1564 the first printed book appeared in Russia - "Apostle", in which punctuation marks - a period and a comma - were already used. A full independent sentence was separated by a dot, and a comma served to separate its parts. The development of typography indicated the need for the stability of writing and required a significant improvement in the system of Russian punctuation. The first of the printed in the Slavic language Grammar was published in Lviv in 1591 under the title ADELFOTN ?. The first proper Slavic Grammar was composed by the Orthodox Archpriest Lavrenty Zizaniy and published in 1596 in Vilna. It contains the rules for using different punctuation marks - subtle, as Zizanius called them. In addition to the period and comma, the term (small period) and the double line were adopted in almost the same meaning as the semicolon in modern Russian. At the end of the sentence, a question mark - sub-tables began to be used. Zizanius himself used only some of the signs he proposed in his book. Instead of a time frame (a small dot), a dot was constantly put. The double-line was used only once. It seems that the author did not clearly understand the function of this sign, all the more he could not distinguish between the use of terms and two-term. A more complete correspondence between the theoretical provisions and their practical application is observed in the setting of the subtable and the point. The under-table was consistently used by L. Zizaniy at the end of an interrogative sentence.

According to S. K. Bulich, the entire chapter "On points" was written by L. Zizaniy under the influence of those grammatical articles that appeared in Russia in the 16th century and were compiled by unknown authors. Indeed, the grammar of L. Zizania names all those punctuation marks that are found in the grammars that existed before. However, his merit is that he tried to give a more detailed explanation of all existing punctuation marks. According to K.I.Belov, in the definition of punctuation marks L. Zizanii proceeds from their syntactic purpose. Using the definition of a comma as an example, KI Belov writes: “Here a certain syntactic meaning of a comma is emphasized as a sign that defines a part of a statement expressing a complete meaning. This principle, to one degree or another, will be traced in the future, when characterizing other punctuation marks ”(Belov, 1959, 4). TI Gaevskaya does not agree with this point of view, who asserts: “In defining a comma, like other signs, L. Zizaniy proceeds primarily from the semantic purpose of punctuation. The syntactic functions of punctuation marks could not be substantiated theoretically, if only because syntax as a section of grammar was not yet developed at that time. It is not represented in any way in L. Zizania's grammar. That is why the question of the basics of punctuation, if approached from the point of view of the modern Russian language, was solved by L. Zizaniy only one-sidedly ”(Gaevskaya, 1973, 12).
In general, L. Zizania's work is an attempt to systematize the information about punctuation marks accumulated by the end of the 16th century, an attempt to determine the place of each character in the general punctuation system.

And in 1619, another, even more important work, "Grammar" by Meletiy Smotritsky, was printed in the Vilensk Bratsk printing house. which began to be used as a teaching aid. It represented a deeper experience of the grammatical development of the Russian language, in contrast to the grammar of L. Zizania. Of course, the external schemes containing the material are copied from the Greek grammar of Laskaris, but it is important that a section on punctuation is presented much broader than that of Zizanius. For the first time, there is a definition of the concept of punctuation marks: "There are speeches / markings of different divisions in the line" (M. Smotritsky, 1619, 5). Thus, Smotritsky regarded punctuation marks as a means of grammatical division of speech and singled out ten punctuation marks:
1) trait /
2) comma,
3) dots:
4) point.
5) detachable
6) single "
7) question;
8) awesome!
9) local
10) turn-down ()
Of the ten names given, the separable and singular are not punctuation marks in the grammatical sense and are given in order to ensure clarity when reading individual words.
Some signs in the grammar of M. Smotritsky are called differently than those of L. Zizania: instead of a double line - a two dot, instead of a sub-table - a question mark, instead of a connecting line - a single line.
The trait is explained by the author as a slight increase in voice, not accompanied by a pause in reading. Consequently, this sign should be considered as a sign that has no syntactic meaning, but has only a rhythmic-melodic character. Therefore, a line that is not used in the meaning of a comma turns out to be devoid of any meaning. But it should be noted that the line was an innovation of the grammarian, before him this sign was not known to our punctuation. A controversial question is whether the line can be considered the prototype of the dash. If we talk about the graphic side, then, of course, the relationship is obvious. But in their functions they are different, since the punctuation of grammar was based on a fundamentally different principle.
Smotritsky's comma is a clearly pronounced punctuation mark. From the examples given in the grammar, it is possible to identify the really syntactic purpose of only one punctuation mark - the comma.
As for the colon, Smotrytsky notes that this sign is not associated with the idea of ​​a completely finished meaning of the utterance, and with the colon, a certain stop is clearly felt. So, this sign to some extent approaches the meaning of the modern semicolon and partly to the modern colon.

Helps to structure the written text. Their use is regulated by punctuation rules specific to each language. They are not always easy to learn, so there are a lot of mistakes in this section. So, when studying foreign languages, very few programs include punctuation. However, this section is just as important as grammar or spelling, although it is only needed in So what are the punctuation marks?

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The main punctuation units in any language are period, comma, as well as question and exclamation marks. With their help, you can correctly express your thought, although not always with sufficient accuracy. In total, ten signs are used in modern Russian: in addition to those already mentioned, these are a dash and a colon, which will be discussed separately. In addition, these are brackets and quotes that have a delimiter function. There is also an ellipsis that ends a thought, and a semicolon, which play the same role, but within the same sentence.

As you can see, the list is small, but each of the listed punctuation units has its own purpose. Sometimes they are used interchangeably, but more often they are not.

Classification

There are several options for separating punctuation units. First, on the basis of pairing. That is, in the case of setting one punctuation mark, it is necessary to supplement it with a second. The paired category includes brackets, quotes, and double commas and dashes.

According to the second classification, all punctuation marks can be divided into 3 categories. For example, such:

1. Highlight marks. They are intended to delineate the boundaries of various syntactic constructs and segregation. It is to this category that paired signs belong. They allow you to clearly structure the proposal and see its significant parts.
2. Branch signs. They mark the boundary between independent proposals, including those in complex structures. In addition, they indicate the type. This includes everything that is not included in the first paragraph.
3. Sometimes the red line is highlighted separately. It denotes a change in topic or a new twist in a story or reasoning.

Functions

It may seem that in the modern world punctuation is already an atavism. As a rule, you can differentiate sentences without periods, and without commas it is often clear what the speech is about. What can we say about other signs that are much less common? And nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to do without them.

First, they allow you to make mental pauses and delineate phrases without turning the text into a meaningless collection of letters and words. Secondly, they convey a huge number of different shades - uncertainty, semi-affirmation, etc. Without such a powerful tool as punctuation, this would be very difficult to achieve. In addition, it would be extremely difficult to understand official documents, agreements and contracts without punctuation marks. Putting a comma in the wrong place can completely change the meaning of the whole sentence - and this is not a joke.

So the role of punctuation marks is important, no matter how their opponents claim otherwise. After all, many linguists are of the opinion that any unnecessary introductions to the language simply don't stick, while significant parts do. And then, the famous "you cannot be pardoned" is just one example, but in fact there are thousands of them. Any punctuation mark is an important part of a sentence that should not be neglected.

History of origin and development

It is difficult to imagine how one can do without punctuation, but the current situation has developed relatively recently, and it is possible that the process of development of this linguistic section is still ongoing. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to observe how the origin and development of punctuation took place.

The oldest punctuation mark is a dot, which is found in ancient Russian written monuments. But its use was not regulated in any way, and the location on the line was different - not at the bottom, but in the middle. The rules for its production became more similar to modern ones around the 16th century.

The comma became widespread approximately in the 15th century. Its name comes from the outdated verb for stop, delay. One root in this case will be the word "stutter". And the most observant will notice one more thing. For example, the fact that "punctuation" in etymology goes back to the same root.

Most of the other signs were introduced into widespread use before the 18th century. Lomonosov, Karamzin and many other prominent scientists contributed to their popularization. The modern rules of punctuation of the Russian language were adopted in 1956 and are still in effect.

Correct use of punctuation units

Punctuation is not always easy. At the end of a sentence, there are four options to choose from, and only within the phrase ... It's no wonder that so much time is devoted to learning punctuation. Remembering all the rules, perhaps, will be somewhat difficult, but the basic ones are simply necessary.

Commas: Correct Usage

Since this particular sign is the most common, it is not surprising that it is this sign that accounts for the most problems. A comma is a sign that separates simple sentences within a complex. It is also used in enumerations, to highlight introductory constructions, applications, isolate participles, adverbial and comparative phrases and many other purposes. It is perhaps rather difficult to list them all, since this is a huge part of the school curriculum. However, it should be remembered that a comma always denotes a reference. Punctuation marks require careful attention to themselves, and neglecting the rules of their arrangement for a native speaker is, first of all, disrespect for oneself.

Direct speech and dialogue

It is this topic that causes the greatest difficulty for both schoolchildren and adults. And if there are fewer problems with dialogue, because there are simply dashes in front of each line, then punctuation marks in direct speech become just a stumbling block, especially if introductory words are still used.

In order to correctly format this part of the text, you need to know that the replica itself, along with its own punctuation marks, is highlighted in quotes. If, in this case, introductory words are used, then instead of a period, a comma is used, which in this case is taken out of the utterance. Interrogative and always persist. As for the formatting of the author's words, it depends on the division of the replicas. If they represent a single sentence, interrupted by an explanation, then it is written with a small letter and highlighted with a dash and a colon. Only one pair of quotation marks is put - at the beginning and at the end of direct speech. It probably sounds a little confusing in theory, but it's not hard to figure it out in practice.

Using dashes and colons

Grammar in the Russian language presupposes the existence and this means the demand for the above punctuation marks. Their purpose is about the same, and both of them can be replaced with a comma, which, however, will not convey the desired shades.

The colon is necessary if the subsequent part or even a whole simple sentence more fully reveals the meaning of the previous one, adds details, etc. Dash - in the opposite situation. Of course, they have other functions, but this is also a fairly large part of the school curriculum that deserves a detailed consideration.

Differences in punctuation between Russian and European languages

Studying the native language, we do not always think about what punctuation marks exist in foreign dialects, and whether they have the same function. Of course, the rules of punctuation are also different, but the conversation is not about them now.

Spanish is a prime example. Question and exclamation sentences in it are highlighted more noticeably, because the corresponding signs are placed not only at the end, but also at the beginning of phrases, so they refer to paired ones along with quotes or brackets.

By the way, in English, you can often find a dash instead of an ellipsis at the end of a direct speech. And the Greeks can put [;] instead of a question mark. Guessing without knowing is difficult. So it's not always worth thinking about the rules that the Russian language sets. Punctuation marks and the way they are used are different everywhere.

Oriental languages

Japanese and Chinese remain true to tradition despite European influences. So, the point looks like a circle and is sometimes placed in the center of the line, and sometimes like the usual one. This was done to avoid confusion, since the European sign could be mistaken for part of the last hieroglyph.

There are also two types of commas: regular and teardrop. The first, for example, divides simple sentences into complex ones, and the second separates homogeneous members.

Little known punctuation marks

It may seem that the above list is more than exhaustive. But, oddly enough, this is not the case. So, what are the punctuation marks that few people know about, and they are practically not used? There are a little more than a dozen of the most famous:

• Interrobang. This combination of question and exclamation marks in one unit looks exotic, but interesting. Of course, it is easier and more familiar to write "?!", Especially since the meaning will be the same, but supporters of the introduction of interrobang believe that it looks more representative in writing.
• Rhetorical It remained in use for about 20 years at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. In fact, it is a mirror image of a regular question mark.
• Asterism. Previously, the chapters or their parts were separated from each other by this very sign, which was three stars arranged in a triangle. But quite a long time ago they were replaced by the same asterism, but located in the form of a straight line.
• An ironic sign. It may seem that it is too similar to the rhetorical, although it is smaller, located above the line and has a completely different function, as the name implies. It was invented in the 19th century.
• Love sign. Its function is also obvious from the name, and it itself is a combination of two interrogative, mirrored to each other, with one dot.
• Consent sign. Is a combination of two exclamation points with one dot. Expresses a demonstration of goodwill or a greeting.
• Confidence sign. Performs the function of emphasizing a strong opinion about the statement made. Represents an exclamation point with a short horizontal line through it.
• Question comma. It is used to emphasize interrogative intonation within one sentence. By analogy with it, there is an exclamation point.
• Sarcastic sign. It is a kind of snail with a dot inside and is protected by copyright. It is used to separately emphasize that the sentence behind which it is located contains sarcasm.
• Snark sign. It can also be typed on a regular keyboard, since it is just a period followed by a tilde - [. ~]. It is used to show that the sentence it comes after is not to be taken literally and has hidden meaning.

Quite an interesting set, but to many it seems redundant. And although the role of some of these signs seems to be necessary, language ultimately crowds out unsuitable and unused things from itself. This is probably what happened in this case.

However, natural languages ​​are far from the only discipline that has the concept of punctuation. However, this topic requires separate consideration. It would be much more appropriate to consider the influence of current trends on the placement of punctuation marks.

Punctuation and netiquette

Since communication on the Internet initially most often implies informality, some simplification and disregard for the rules of the Russian (and not only) language is quite natural. Even the concept of netiquette has developed, which includes the question of how to place punctuation marks.

So, for example, a dot at the end of a long dialogue is a sign that the interlocutor wants to close the topic. In other cases, it looks rough and cold. A large number of exclamation marks mean, depending on the context, violent negative or positive emotions. The ellipsis can indicate despair, thoughtfulness, melancholy, and some other shades of mood that can hardly be called positive. The placement of commas in network communication is rarely the subject of serious thought, because the goal is to convey the essence to the interlocutor, and the formation of thoughts in this case is secondary. Nevertheless, it is impossible to neglect the placement of question marks - this is bad manners.

Although these rules are different from the general ones, they are not difficult to remember. And, of course, you need to take into account that they do not relate to business and official correspondence, which must be executed correctly and competently. The punctuation mark is a powerful tool that must be used with care.