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actuallyihavenearlyallofmydiscussionsaboutraceatbluebottlethankyou

Choire(@Choire)March17,2015(https://twitter.com/Choire/status/577825974127063041)

echnology,wearetoldeveryweekorso,isrewiringoursentences.Theopenstructureoftextmessagingmakesperiodsseemangry(http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115726/periodoursimplest

punctuationmarkhasbecomesignanger),whileitsquicknessturnsformalitieslikeanemdashintosignsofmarriageability(atleasttothiswoman(http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/style/whenyourpunctuationsaysitall.html?_r=0)).

Buttoseemanoutpacemachine,looknofurtherthanTwitter,whereastylemarkedbylittlepunctuationandnocapitalizationisalmostanativelanguage.

Wehavemostlyourselvestothankforthisgrammaticaltwist,saysGretchenMcCulloch.Alinguistwhostudiesonlinebehavior,McCullochoccasionallycontributestoTheToast(http://thetoast.net/),thewry,writerlyblogwhosecofounderMalloryOrtbergissomethingofapioneerofthelowpunctuation,nocapsstyle.

(javscript:void(0))

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TheHuffingtonPost|ByMallikaRao(/mallikarao/) (/users/login/)Posted:03/19/20158:47amEDT Updated:03/20/20151:59pmEDT

NoPunctuationIsFunnier

nobodywantstomakesmalltalkbutyou'renotimpressedby"abunchofbigtalk"eitherwhatdoyoupeoplewant

MalloryOrtberg(@mallelis)January20,2015(https://twitter.com/mallelis/status/557680705757802496)

McCullochlinksthestyle'sadoptionbyparadigmaticwriters(seealso:ChoireSicha(https://twitter.com/choire),editoroftheToast'seditorialcousin,TheAwl(http://www.theawl.com/2013/07/itsthetoast))tothedecline(http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2010/12/good_riddance.html)ofanartifacttheCapsLockkey.

Imaginethescenario:it's1996,andyou'veloggedintoyourAOLInstantMessengeraccount.YourmaincrushBradtypes,HEYWHATSUPAREYOUGOINGTOTHEMAXLATERandsuddenlythefireinsideyoudimsalittle.Whyishetypinglikethat?Ishedictatingtohisgrandpa?

IfyouthinkaboutreadinganearlyInternetforumwheresomebodyistypinginallcaps,eithertheyreangryandshouting,ortheyreineptandjusthavetheCapsLockkeystuckonthecomputer,"McCullochsays."Likemygrandparentsusedto."

Today,there'sahighergenerallevelofkeyboardscholarship.(AswellasfewerCapsLockkeys(http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2010/12/good_riddance.html),thankstoGoogleandothercompanieseliminatingthebuttonconsideredablight(http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/12/googlewantstotakeyourcapslockaway/)ontheInternet.)Andsowereridofcertainhangups.Unburdenedoftheneedtoproveouronlinefacilitywithperfectlyformattedsentences,wereabletoexperiment.ThishasledtoawritingformMcCullochcallstheoppositeofshoutinglittlepunctuation,nocapitalization,essentiallyarunonsentence.

howmanypeopleinthehouseghostwriteyrfriendsromantictextsraiseyrhand

Jenna//\\Wortham(@jennydeluxe)February10,2015(https://twitter.com/jennydeluxe/status/565214319114485760)

Contrasttheinnovationwiththeloosenessofhandwrittennotes."Inasenseyouhavemorefreedomonapage,McCullochpointsout.Withapen,youcanwriteoutsidethemargins,ordrawboxesaroundimportantwords.Onlinewereconstrainedabit.Wemakeuseofwhatsavailableonthekeyboardtotrytobefullyexpressive.

This"catbeingsick"thingisturningmeintoawomaninajeandresswhocollectsbeaniebabies,pleaseeveryonegohugandkissyourpets

PatriciaLockwood(@TriciaLockwood)November22,2014(https://twitter.com/TriciaLockwood/status/536007057330405376)

Platformswhereeditingisinformal,e.g.TwitterandTumblr,functionaslanguagelaboratories,saysTylerSchnoebelen,alinguistwhospecializesinspeechuniquetothedigitalage.

Schnoebelenpointsoutthatinthesecontexts,themysteryisntthatpeoplebreakrules,butthatanyfollowthem.Forresearchers,hesays,thequestionbecomes,Whatisitthatsmakingsomebodyonthisrelativelyinformalplatformwriteintraditionalways?

Theanswerisntnecessarilytheobviousoneofdemographics.Thereareyoungpeoplewholiketoadheretostandards,andolderpeoplewhodont,Schnoebelensays.Hecitesanoffenderwellknowninlinguisticcircles:

SenatorChuckGrassley,whosecreativelywordedtweets(http://imgur.com/a/mOrZ1)madetheirwaytoGawkersmicroscopein2012.

FredandIhitadeeronhiway136southofDyersville.AfterIpulledfenderrubbingontirewecontinuedtofarm.Assumedeerdead

ChuckGrassley(@ChuckGrassley)October26,2012(https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/261636623924621312)

Inowhvaniphone

ChuckGrassley(@ChuckGrassley)February13,2012(https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/169202371312881667)

Grassleysaffinityforallsortsofabbreviationsandnonstandardspellingsmaybesingular(Schnoebelencallsit"preposterous"),butit'snotexactlyanomalous.

QuitcomplainingabtmyTwittershorthandIknowhowtospellButTwitterlimitis120characters

ChuckGrassley(@ChuckGrassley)March24,2011(https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/50934777552969730)

Textshortcutshavebecomepopularwithbabyboomersastextinghasbecomemainstream.AnecdotalevidenceseemstobearoutamovementakintotheFacebookexodus(http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/10/teenagersmessengerappsfacebookexodus),arejectionofwhatwasoncethoughtofasayouthfulticbykidswhoseparentshavecooptedthebehavior.Itdoesseemthatyoungpeoplespellout,whereasitstheirparentswhoareabbreviatingastheyrecomingtotext,Schnoebelensays.

Chartingtheriseofthenocaps,lowpunctuationlineistrickier.Empirically,thestyleseemspopularwithinacertaincircleofliteraryonlinewriters.Schnoebelenpointsoutthatdispensingofpunctuation,orseparatingsentenceswithcommas,wendsclosertooralspeechpatterns.Doingsoalignswiththepersonalityofthesitesthesewritersrepresent,whichdon'tclaimauthoritativenessinthesamewayasoldmediapublicationswhereformattingisstandard,andcontenttherefore(presumably)trustworthy.(NeitherSichanorOrtbergreturnedarequestforcomment.)

literallyfoundthisbysearching"beautifulwomenholdinggold,"lifeiswhatyoumakeofitpic.twitter.com/cRenCKjDVX(http://t.co/cRenCKjDVX)

MalloryOrtberg(@mallelis)March10,2015(https://twitter.com/mallelis/status/575145403915501570)

Thisformattinginturnyieldsaspecificnarrativevoice.McCullochlikensittothatofacertainbreedofmodernstandupcomic.ThinkDemetriMartin(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU3vqkPFJi8),orthelateMitchHedberg(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAHiHJ2AhYE):verycalmandrelaxed,saysMcCulloch,maybeevennonemotional.

EarlytwentiethcenturyAmericanwritersmanipulatedtexttomuchthesameeffect.GertrudeSteinwasanotedhateroftheexclamationandquestionmarks,callingbothsymbolsunnecessaryandugly.Herflattenedsentencesshapedthelinesofwriterswhostudiedher,mostlyErnestHemingwayandE.E.Cummings,thelatterafamousmanipulatorofcapitalizationandpunctuation.

Steinisalsocredited(https://books.google.com/books?id=MMZqLXP01e4C&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153&dq=jack+kerouac+influences+hemingway&source=bl&ots=Qn6OTRrK4&sig=poB0EZ5nTMOVfrlOn7WRBHsijbQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cbAIVY2OB7T8sATbuIKgAQ&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=jack%20kerouac%20influences%20hemingway&f=false)forinfluencingtheBeatpoetsandthroughthemtheInternetbasedgenre,AltLit(http://www.newyorker.com/books/pageturner/ifwaltwhitmanvlogged).Wereshearoundtoday,theoutlesbianwhoworkedherwayintotheAmericancanonfromitsfringes(https://books.google.com/books?id=JfEQAJ0FSZkC&pg=PR11&lpg=PR11&dq=gertrude+stein+outcast+lesbian&source=bl&ots=AAob6XfNiM&sig=fOXLLjlZ3kcj47jfkBS5R1593o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=47cIVYrQIubHsQSLv4HoBA&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=gertrude%20stein%20outcast%20lesbian&f=false)wouldprobablybeagreattweeter.Takeherfamouscompressionofmultiplethoughtsintoasinglelineeviscerationoffatherhood,sentinaletter(https://books.google.com/books?id=SHOPenESaHQC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=There+is+too+much+fathering+going+on+just+now+and+there+is+no+doubt+about+it+fathers+are+depressing&source=bl&ots=csCuoskHWa&sig=5RJcJVYk91wnV_aJ0P7gaOkJLHI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GLgIVbyUN8rhsASjg4CQAQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=There%20is%20too%20much%20fathering%20going%20on%20just%20now%20and%20there%20is%20no%20doubt%20about%20it%20fathers%20are%20depressing&f=false)ThorntonWilder.Hereconomyofpunctuationaddsacertain21stcenturyshockvalue:Thereistoomuchfatheringgoingonjustnowandthereisnodoubtaboutitfathersaredepressing.

whatwastheuseiftherewasnochanceofeverseeingitcomethereandshowthatitwashandsomeandrightinthewayitshowedit.

GertrudeStein(@gertrudestein_)July31,2010(https://twitter.com/gertrudestein_/status/20014284606)

TheparodyTwitteraccount,@gertrudestein_,runssolelyonactualquotesfromthelatemodernistwriter.Inthisone,thesentence'sunpunctuatedflowdemandsofthereaderanattentivenesstoeachword.

Shewasalsoaheadofhertimeinherchoiceofwhichpartsofgrammarshedidntlike.Steinconsideredcapitallettersaninevitableanachronism,asdoomedasthefeelingofformalitytheycreate.Justaswithhorses,capitalswillhavegoneaway,shewroteintheessay,Poetry&Grammar(http://www.unive.it/media/allegato/download/Lingue/Materiale_didattico_Coslovi/Lingua_angloamericana1/Gertrude_Stein.pdf)Hertakedownofthequestionmarkinthesameessayisequallypoetic,andwonderfullytautological:Ifyoudonotknowthataquestionisaquestionwhatistheuseofitsbeingaquestion.

CummingscaromedoffStein,playingwiththelookoftexttoconjureagalaxyofemotions.Butthe2.0versionhasreturnedtheaimtohumor.Nopunctuationisfunnier(http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoPunctuationIsFunnier)hasbecomeanInternettruismatthispoint,enshrinedinonlinetropedatabasesandembodiedbyasingleword:What.(Versusthatoldstalwart,what?)

MORE: Grammar,InternetGrammar,InternetSpeak,MalloryOrtberg,ChoireSicha,NoPunctuation,

EeCummings,Doge,Lolcat

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WhereLOLcatswereoncethemascotsoftheweb,captionedwithforcefulallcapssentimentsstrewnwithpunctuation,wehaveenteredtheeraoftheDoge(anothertopicofanalysisbyMcCulloch(http://thetoast.net/2014/02/06/linguistexplainsgrammardogewow/)),adogbasedmemethattypicallylayersimagesofwideeyedShibaInusinlowpunctuation,nocapsInternetspeak.Aswiththeirhumancounterparts,theeffectofthemellowformattingonwhatareoftenhyperthoughtscreatesthesenseofananimalfrozenwithemotion,asifonpainkillers.Asamplingofclassicdogecriesforhelp:whythishappentoscareplz.

whenyouteaseadogwithatreat(https://instagram.com/p/rgFfg1i7w/)

Aphotopostedbydoge?doge.(@doges)onAug9,2014at7:40pmPDT

Atitspurest,thestylereflectsthepeculiarimpulsetodrainalineofemotion.Thismightactuallyindicateoverwhelmingemotion,asseeninMitchHedbergslegendarynerves(http://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/16utdm/til_that_mitch_hedberg_suffered_from_severe_stage/)orinthequietdespairofadoge.TheartistryoffeignednonchalanceshouldbefamiliartoanyonewhosseenaWesAndersonmovie.Itsahallmarkofthemodernaestheticmemorablycoinedsmartdumb,bythepoetKennethGoldsmith.WritingatTheAwl(http://www.theawl.com/2013/07/beingdumb),Goldsmithoutlinedamanifestoforanapproachdefinedbywhatitisnot:neithersmartsmart(astarstudent)ordumbdumb(anillpreparedslacker).

Smartdumbrejectsboth,hewrites,choosinginsteadtowalkatightropebetweenthetwo."

Goldsmithhashisownlistofsmartdumbicons,includingGertrudeStein.Itstandstoreasonthattheperfectlycalibratedrunoncreatedinherimageshouldroundoutthegroup.Nocapitals,littlepunctuation,andnohorseseither:justwordsmarchinginarow.

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