Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda
Keith Houston: There’s More to Writing Than Words.
Mar 5, 2024
Discover the intriguing history of punctuation marks, from their creation by librarian Aristophanes to the introduction of lesser-known symbols like pilcrows, octothorps, and interrobangs. Explore the evolution of writing practices, the origin of the interrobang symbol, ancient counting systems, and the transformative impact of books on human nature.
38:32
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Quick takeaways
- Punctuation originated from speech rhythms to aid reading, evolving into modern punctuation marks.
- Word spaces in written communication were unintentionally adopted by monks for clarity, leading to systematic spacing in texts.
Deep dives
Origin of Punctuation and Symbols
Punctuation initially originated from a need to aid reading. The Greeks used specific pauses like commas, colons, and periodus to signify different speech rhythms. Aristophanes, a librarian at Alexandria, pioneered early punctuation by adding dots to mark short, medium, and long pauses while reading aloud texts with no spaces or punctuation. This reader-driven punctuation formed the basis for modern punctuation marks.
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