The Use of Exclamation Marks in Communication

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The use of exclamation marks, referred to as 'flaming pink scarves' in writing, is discouraged in excess, analogous to not wearing bright neon clothing. Studies have shown that women tend to use exclamation marks in online communication to create an inclusive and friendly atmosphere, while men are more likely to use multiple exclamation marks to express anger and rage.

On this episode we learn about the history of the exclamation point, the question mark, and the semicolon (among many other aspects of language) with Florence Hazrat, a scholar of punctuation, who, to my great surprise, informed me that while a lot of language is the result of a slow evolution, a gradual ever-changing process, punctuation in the English language is often an exception to this – for instance, a single person invented the semicolon; they woke up and the semicolon didn’t exist, and then went to bed that night, and it did!

Florence Hazrat's Website

An Admirable Point

How Minds Change

David McRaney’s Twitter

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