English is an ever-changing language, and the words we choose are far from the only elements that are added or dropped over time. Punctuation is just as integral to written communication, and it too has been invented, temporarily adopted, and then phased out (to be replaced, or not). Have you ever heard of an interrobang or a manicule? If not, take a look at these now-obsolete punctuation marks. Do you think that any of them should make a comeback?
The Punctuation We Left Behind
Punctuation plays a pivotal role in how the meaning of an utterance is perceived. Consider the classic: โLetโs eat, grandma!โ versus โLetโs eat grandma!โ Suddenly, that single, tiny mark is a big dealโat least for everyoneโs favorite grandma. Throughout history, people have devised, revised, and abandoned punctuation in order to solve specific problems. English no longer needs many of them, which means our current written language is missing out on a broad range of specialized punctuation that used to be common.
Letโs take a closer look at outdated punctuation to see why each was created, what human communication problem it tried to solve, and what its failure to stick tells us about how written language actually evolves. How many have you encountered?
Interrobang
Have you ever heard of the interrobang!? The interrobang is a 1960s attempt to combine ! and ?, as in the previous sentence, into โฝ . Seen as more efficient and more accurately capturing the mix of aghast surprise some utterances demand, the interrobang was briefly added to typewriters. You can even insert it in Microsoft Word; simply type 203D and then press Alt+X. Unfortunately, the interrobang never caught on, likely because its use case was so restricted and it was difficult to read in small font.
Irony mark
Have you ever read a sentence and wondered whether you were supposed to take it seriously? The irony mark (โธฎ) would let you know. The first backward question mark, the percontation point, arose in the late 1500s to signal a rhetorical question, but by the early 1900s, this use had been abandoned and the backward mark reclaimed for irony or sarcasm. However, this punctuationโs failure to stick reveals a deeper truth about language: itโs personal. Many people disliked the loss of subtext and personal interpretation when clarifying meaning using โธฎ, so it gradually faded.
Hedera
Youโve probably seen older books in which the first letter of a chapter is elegantly scrawled, or perhaps beautified typographical ornaments are inserted. That, to some extent, was the purpose of the hedera (โฆ). A heart shape surrounded in vines, the hedera works as a paragraph break (typically without breaking to a new line). It can be used both vertically (โฆ) and horizontally (โง). Nowadays, itโs mostly seen as decoration because formatting rules such as paragraph breaks have become standardized.
Manicule
Depending on how much you read and about what, you might have already encountered a manicule (โ), or a pointing finger. This punctuation mark dates back to the 1100s and was widely used during the Renaissance to draw attention to specific parts of text. Although manicules remained in use for centuries, they were slowly overtaken by more convenient (that is, easier to draw) marks, such as the asterisk. Still, you may occasionally find them as bullets or even emojis.
Asterism
You may have read a book, especially fiction, in which the author breaks a chapter into several pieces. The scene may shift or time may pass, but a new chapter would be too much. Historically, this change would be marked with an asterism, or three asterisks stacked: โ. This punctuation mark underwent a true evolution rather than replacement. Now, youโll still see these breaks regularly. However, they now appear as *** (cutely called a โdinkusโ) instead. The asterisks have fallen from their stack, most likely as a convenience; no need for a specific key or shortcut code when *** is three taps away.
Friendly period
Have you ever wished you could send a text message or an email in a friendly tone without ending with โlolโ or โhahaโ? The friendly period (.ฬฎ ) was one proposed option. Arising in the digital age, its goal was to allow for clarification of your intent (because we all know that receiving a text message that ends with a flat, boring period can be stressful; are they angry?). However, history has repeatedly shown that people are highly resistant to changes in punctuation, especially when easier options exist. The friendly period had no easy shortcut, and the inconvenience of using it outweighed its benefits.
So, do you wish any of these punctuation marks would make a comeback? Even if they might not be popular in the mainstream, thereโs nothing stopping you from adopting them on your own! Language is resistant to inefficient change, but for the people who deem these punctuation marks worth it, they still have their uses.
