Exclamation mark


The exclamation mark '' is a punctuation mark usually used after an interjection, an exclamation, a noise to indicate strong feelings, a loud sound, or to show emphasis. The exclamation mark often marks the end of a sentence.
A bare exclamation mark is frequently used in warning signs.
The exclamation mark likely came from the word io, used to show joy. Writers made a set of changes to io that made it become the exclamation mark. In the mid-14th century the Italian writer Iacopo Alpoleio da Urbisaglia created the exclamation mark since he was bothered when readers read emotional text without emotion.
Other uses include:
In the 14th century, the exclamation mark was named the punctus admirativus/exclamativus, coming from a text by the writer Iacopo Alpoleio da Urbisaglia. About fifty years later, the writer Coluccio Salutati used the exclamation mark in his writing. This spread its use to England, where the name punctus admirativus/exclamativus was translated to "point of admiration/exclamation". Later, people began to name it the "point/note/sign of admiration/exclamation". The difference between "admiration" and "exclamation" ended in the 19th century, when people found it unneeded. In the 17th century the name "exclamation mark" became popular.

History

s say that the exclamation mark comes from a Latin exclamation of joy, namely io, similar to "hooray". Writers would write io at the end of sentences to show happiness. Over time, these writers made a set of changes to io, such as placing the "I" above the "O", and making the "O" smaller until it turned into a dot. This set of changes turned io to the exclamation mark.
The exclamation mark comes from the mid-14th century, when the writer Iacopo Alpoleio da Urbisaglia made it. The linguist Florence Hazrat says he "was really annoyed" that people read emotional text with no emotion, leading him to create the exclamation mark. His early exclamation mark looked similar to the modern one, it was a period with an apostrophe above it. It was used to show emotions such as admiration and surprise. In his text, he named it the punctus admirativus/exclamativus, although this name fell out of use.
The exclamation mark was next used by the writer Coluccio Salutati in the early 15th century, which led to its common usage. Shortly after, English printing press operators started to use the exclamation mark in their printing to give emphasis to sentences.
Older or portable typewriters often did not have the exclamation mark; to replicate it, users typed a period, backspaced, and then typed an apostrophe.

Slang and other names

Now obsolete, the name ecphoneme was documented in the early 20th century.
In the 1950s, secretarial dictation and typesetting manuals in America referred to the mark as "bang", perhaps from comic books – where the ! appeared in dialogue bubbles to represent a gun being fired, although the nickname probably emerged from letterpress printing. This "bang" usage is behind the names of the interrobang, an unconventional typographic character, and the shebang, a feature of Unix computer systems.
In the printing world, the exclamation mark can be called a screamer, a gasper, a slammer, a dog's cock, or a startler.
Programmers originally called the exclamation mark by its full name or "shriek", but Unix popularized the "bang" name. For example, the password communicated in the spoken phrase "Your password is em-zero-pee-aitch-bang-en-three" is m0ph!n3.

Languages

The exclamation mark is mainly used in languages that use the Latin alphabet, although usage slightly varies. It has also been adopted in languages written in other scripts, such as languages written with Cyrillic or Arabic scripts, Chinese characters, and Devanagari.

English

A sentence ending in an exclamation mark may represent an exclamation, interjection, imperative, or astonishment or surprise:. Exclamation marks are occasionally placed mid-sentence with a function similar to a comma, for dramatic effect, although this usage is obsolete: "On the walk, oh! there was a frightful noise."
Informally, exclamation marks may be repeated for additional emphasis, but this practice is generally considered unacceptable in formal prose.
The exclamation mark is sometimes used in conjunction with the question mark. This can be in protest or astonishment ; a few writers replace this with a single, unconventional punctuation mark, the interrobang, which is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark.
Overly frequent use of the exclamation mark is generally considered poor writing, as it distracts the reader and decreases the mark's significance.
Some authors, most notably Tom Wolfe, are known for their unashamedly liberal use of the exclamation mark. In comic books, the very frequent use of exclamation marks is common—see [|Comics], below.
For information on the use of spaces after an exclamation mark, see the discussion of spacing after a period.
Several studies have shown that women use exclamation marks more than men do. One study suggests that, in addition to other uses, exclamation marks may also function as markers of friendly interaction, for example, by making "Hi!" or "Good luck!" seem friendlier than simply "Hi." or "Good luck.". However, use of exclamation marks in contexts that are not unambiguously positive can be misinterpreted as indicating hostility.
In English writing and often subtitles, a symbol implies that a character has made an obviously sarcastic comment e.g.: "Ooh, a sarcasm detector. That's a really useful invention" It is also used to indicate surprise at one's own experience or statement.

French

In French, as well as marking exclamations or indicating astonishment, the exclamation mark is commonly used to mark orders or requests: Viens ici. When available, a 'narrow no-break space' is used between the last word and the exclamation mark in European French. If not, a regular non-breaking space is currently used. In Canadian French, either no space is used or a small space is inserted if available. One can also combine an exclamation mark with a question mark at the end of a sentence where appropriate.

German

uses the exclamation mark for several things that English conveys with other punctuation:
  • It is used at the end of imperative sentences, even when not particularly emphatic: Ruf mich morgen an! A normal period, as in English, is fairly common but is considered substandard.
  • A related use is on signs that express a command or interdiction: Betreten verboten!.
  • The exclamation mark may also be used in the salutation line of a letter: Lieber Hans!, especially in Austrian German. However, the use of a comma is equally correct and is more common.

    Cantonese

Cantonese has not historically used dedicated punctuation marks, rather relying on grammatical markers to denote the end of a statement. Usage of exclamation marks is common in written Mandarin and in some Yue speaking regions. The Canton and Hong Kong regions, however, generally refused to accept the exclamation mark as it was seen as carrying with it unnecessary and confusing Western connotations. However, an exclamation mark, including in some written representations of colloquy in Cantonese, can be used informally to indicate strong feelings.

Greek

In Modern Greek, the exclamation mark has been introduced from Latin scripts and is used identically, although without the reluctance seen in [|English usage]. A minor grammatical difference is that, while a series of interjections each employ an exclamation mark, an interjection should only be separated from an extended exclamation by a comma.

Hungarian

In Hungarian, an exclamation mark is put at the end of exclamatory, imperative or prohibitive sentences, and sentences expressing a wish. The use of the exclamation mark is also needed when addressing someone and the addressing is a separate sentence.. Greetings are also typically terminated with an exclamation mark.

Solomon Islands Pidgin

In Solomon Islands Pidgin, the phrase may be between admiration marks. Compare Nomoa. and !Nomoa nao!.

Spanish

In Spanish, a sentence or clause ending in an exclamation mark must also begin with an inverted exclamation mark : ¿Estás loco? ¡Casi la matas!, 'Are you crazy? You almost killed her!'
As in British English, a bracketed exclamation mark may be used to indicate irony or surprise at a statement: Dice que esta noche no va a salir de fiesta, 'He said that he's not going to a party tonight.' Such use is not matched by an inverted opening exclamation mark.

Turkish

In Turkish, an exclamation mark is used after a sentence or phrase for emphasis, and is common following both commands and the addressees of such commands. For example, in the Ordular! İlk hedefiniz Akdenizdir, ileri! order by Atatürk, ordular constitute the addressee. It is further used in parentheses,, after a sentence or phrase to indicate irony or sarcasm: Çok iyi bir iş yaptın, 'You've done a very good job – Not!'.

Limbu

In Limbu, an exclamation mark is used after a Limbu sentence or phrase for emphasis, and is common following both commands and the addressees of such commands. For example, in the Limbu sentence ᤐᤚᤢ᥄ ᤄᤨᤘᤑ ᤂᤥᤆᤌᤙ Mediterranean, ᤚᤦᤛᤅ᥄.
It is further used in parentheses,, after a sentence or phrase to indicate irony or sarcasm: ᤖᤥᤂᤌ ᤔᤚᤗ ᤐᤤ ᤊᤇ ᤃᤦᤄ .