Slashdot Mirror
How Many Exclamation Points Do You Need To Seem Genuinely Enthusiastic? (theatlantic.com)
How many exclamation points does it take to exclaim something? One, a human of sound mind and a decent grasp of punctuation might say. But, on the internet, it often doesn't. The Atlantic: Not anymore. Digital communication is undergoing exclamation-point inflation. When single exclamation points adorn every sentence in a business email, it takes two to convey true enthusiasm. Or three. Or four. Or more. I noticed this in my own social circles recently. Multiple exclamation points were popping up in mundane places, not attached to hyperbole or any kind of frenzied emotion. A simple work email might yield a "Sounds good!!!" I find myself doing it, too. "All of these quirks of social media -- that would include exclamation points, and all caps, and repetition of letters, those are the three main ones that show enthusiasm -- people use more of them," says Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. This sort of inflation is a natural linguistic phenomenon that regularly happens to words, like how awesome was once reserved for that which truly struck awe into a quavering heart and is now scarcely more than a verbal thumbs up. But this time it's happening to punctuation.
And lots!!!
I dunno!!!!!!!111111ELEVENTY!!!!1111
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
You can use 1 exclamation point if a death is involved.
You can use 2 exclamation point if your own death is involved.
In school I was taught to use an exclamation point only after a command or an exclamation, not to "convey true enthusiasm".
Formal and professional communications, one, informal millennial lumbersexual hipster ... as many as you want.
LOL!!!
Well, Donald Trump regularly uses between 10 and 20. I'd say that indicates a pretty high degree of enthusiasm.
...a period is a sign of anger.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
This is just the written translation of the neoliberal rise of fake enthusiasm promoted in corporate environments
How many stupid articles do you need to post before they take away the privilige?
I only use exclamation points!!!1!elebenty!!1! to convey something other than enthousiasm. In fact, I don't do enthousiasm. I do work.
Let's focus on the real issue they are obviously trying to distract us from. How many question marks does it take to appear sincerely inquisitive???????
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
for a slashdot poll.
It's not as bad a question as some have been lately. Not as good either. And there does need to be a CowboyNeal!!! option.
s/enthusiastic/pathetic/
"I find myself doing it, too."
Well, stop, right fucking now.
The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
Seems like a highly inviting story for humor. May I suggest inverting the analysis and starting with the suitable punishments for crimes of punctuation?
Is my chief crime the excessive use of question marks in search of politeness? Or is it the ellipses...
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
... and I don't like to read them.
I USE UPPERCASE.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
To get to the center of a tootsie Pop.... 1, 2, 3.... Therefore, the Answer, is 3!!!
This big?
8============D ????
Anything more than one, sparingly used, is the sign of a weak mind.
Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
https://www.punchbowl.com/holi...
Today, at least!!!!!
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
I believe the semicolon has outlived its usefulness. Time for a walk to the lake and a little boat ride. One way.
I bet fearless leader #PresidentTweety doesn't use semicolons and wouldn't recognize one if it bit him on his fat ass.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
Just a guess.
3. http://tootsie.com/howmanylick...
With the possible exceptions of dealing with clients, firing employees, and accusing people of crimes, the cumulative number of exclamation points you should ever use in your business e-mails is exactly 0.
For social e-mails, the appropriate number of exclamation points is also 0. If you're the sort of person who gets excited when you see a video of a cat falling off a countertop and feel compelled to use an exclamation point, your feelings have misled you. Resist the urge to use one. If you find you are having to use more than one exclamation point to convey the immensity of your enthusiasm when you discover that the cat is named Mr. Wiggles and that there's a second video where he's wearing a silly hat, that's a problem of your own creation. First, stop using so many exclamation points and people will come to stop expecting them, making it all the more emphatic when you deign to use even a single one. Second, stop watching those videos. Life is too short to waste it like that.
"Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind." -- Terry Pratchett, "Eric"
This sort of inflation is a natural linguistic phenomenon that regularly happens to words, like how awesome was once reserved for that which truly struck awe into a quavering heart and is now scarcely more than a verbal thumbs up.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
http://www.bash.org/?quote=835...
What do you mean the SQL daemon is down?!?
The joke is about Judge-Mental telling a newbie to stop using the , but the newbie thanks him for teaching how to type more easily. As I recall the punchline, Judge-Mental says "Phuck me!"
Wait: Late-breaking news. I found a copy at http://forums.markzdanielewski...
Khassaki> HI EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!
Judge-Mental> try pressing the the Caps Lock key
Khassaki> O THANKS!!! ITS SO MUCH EASIER TO WRITE NOW!!!!!!!
Judge-Mental> fuck me
You notice that the newbie is a exclamation-point criminal?
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
just kidding!!1
You have got to be kidding. Is it April 1st or something?! Where does this shit come from!
Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the Slashdot input mangling.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
yes we need the !
You need three, followed by a one!!!1
#DeleteFacebook
Q: How many exclamation points does it take for my spam filters to tag you as a spammer?
A: A lot fewer exclamation points than that.
The true measure of emotional feeling, whether enthusiasm, surprise, anger or extreme ambivalence; is FUCK. Very simply, three FUCKS beats five and often six !!!!! The number of fucks, whether in a tweet, a comic book or an action movie is a clear indicator of quality and bold emotion.
...omphaloskepsis often...
The trend these days is to repeat everything a bunch of times, like "very very very...". Doesn't add any additional meaning to the conversation or text and when I hear it, the only thing I can think is that the speaker has trouble expressing themselves.
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Fourteen.
The use of three exclamation points in a row is called a clutterbang and is acceptable if used for extra emphasis!!! This is an old rule, something before the days of the internet. If you wish to learn more you must find a master in the swamps of Dagobah or your local library. Grammar is an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
The number of exclamation points you use is inversely proportional to both how many IQ points I estimate you have and how many fucks I give.
"Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
The true measure of emotional feeling, whether enthusiasm, surprise, anger or extreme ambivalence; is FUCK.
Which explains why ambivalence often involves not giving a FUCK.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Children are removed from parents that commit felonies! One exclamation point doesn't seem like enough though.
[Image of ghost and three graphic exclamation points probably deleted, but perhaps Slashdot treats you differently? The emoticons do return from Preview mode, so Slashdot hasn't lost them completely?]
In some contexts, that would be an emoticon of a ghost followed by three giant exclamations points. Here on Slashdot, it appears to have been destroyed. Thank heavens for small blessings?
Things could get worse, and they mostly have.
I rest my case.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
You go through LAX and you are out in to lines and deemed an Alien. Men with guns yell at you for no reason at all.
You don't have a US passport and carry it with you whenever you fly?
Just one will do. Otherwise I will interpret it as wild millenial ramblings and ignore it.
"Multiple exclamation marks," he went on, shaking his head, "are a sure sign of a diseased mind."
It is NEVER justifiable to use more than one. In most cases even one is inappropriate. Learn the fucking language! (That's example of a correctly used exclamation mark)
Really!
This was answered long ago
I swear this is the first one of these comments I've ever made... but why in the world is this on Slashdot? Reddit, sure, but I don't see how this is either news for nerds or stuff that matters. Posts about big elections and stuff - sure I understand, that's something a lot of people care about. This is something that belongs in a high school newspaper.
I see my shadow changing, stretching up and over me...
Two looks like an error, like a double period at the end of a sentence.. Like that. See? Two exclamation marks look like they could be the result of a mistake!! Like that. But three, three exclamation marks are sufficient to indicate enthusiasm, without risk of being perceived as a possible typographical error!!! See?!? More than that looks silly and four, five, or more, unavoidably look like this!!!!!1!!!!1!!11!1!!1!11!!! Just silly, and kind of childish or careless. So... three.
Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
ineffable: â£ïâ£ïâ£ïEmojisumsâ£ïâ£ïâ£ï
no!
No!!
NO!!!
"Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind."
-- Terry Pratchett, "Eric"
And what did he die of again?
With the number of bangs floating about in this comment thread, it feels like I'm in an American school.
As a translator, I used to eliminate all but one exclamation mark if the author got carried away.
Then I thought, Why should I save people from self-inflictedly looking-like-a-prick? So now I square the number of interrogation marks.
No, your children are not the special ones. Nor are your pets.
Listen Carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We respect your business, but not the country it serves.
. . .
It's up to you now John! Victory!
You need six of them!!!!
This signature has Super Cow Powers
She often sent me emails like "Cro, when do you expect to finish your project???".
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Use one. It conveys the message. Anything more makes you look like a 5 year old with ADHD. And this is how I'll treat you.
I am dead serious. If I find a work email with multiple exclamation marks or question marks, I have to question the professionalism of the person sending it. Even and especially if it's a customer, and most definitely if it's coming from management.
I'd kinda expect it from marketing by now. Like I said, it's usually the hallmark of 5 year olds with ADHD, and, well, QED.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I used to write my own spam filters using rules. One of those rules was if an email had three or more exclamation points in a row it went to trash since only spammers tended to do that.
The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
and your father smelled of elderberries."
I only see LOL used as an expression of contempt, mainly where controversial opinions are being expressed. Its use is reminiscent of the regard the soldiers at the French castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail had for Arthur and his quest.
In that context, I find its use rather annoying and downright childish. It is a credit to the Slashdot community that we can disagree with each other without any LOLs.
In addition to the sprinkling of exclamation points and LOLs, I would also like to see the use of "But, wait!" retired. It goes something like, "Reagan was going to end wasteful government spending and never negotiate for the release of hostages . . . but wait!"
There was a time when "but wait!" was a clever put-down of someone you were arguing with online, but we see, we've heard and long get the idea and the sheer repetition of this once original rhetorical device is also annoying.
Depending on where a person got their degree, yes.
Does the article adequately cover the subject?????
Don't forget to add some ones for dramatic effect:
L33T LIEK JEFF K!!!!!111
Myra had the baby.
4G Exclamation marks may not prove you're enthusiastic, but it shows you're zealous about it.
Terry Pratchett — 'Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.'
In the notorious case of the death of a child in Boulder Colorado named Jon Benet Ramsey, a putative hostage ransom note had those three exclamation points in it.
Many people interested in the case are of the mind that the note was not written by terrorist kidnappers, rather, it was written by the mom to cover up the death of her daughter at her hands -- probably in a fit-of-range in administering abusive parental discipline. Certainly, a terrorist kidnapper would not use so many tropes and memes of upper-middle class suburban American culture in describing who they are and what they want. "A group of individuals" is how the American upper-middle class talks, not a member of a foreign terrorist group. The exclamation points are also consistent with the mom Patsy Ramsey being a control freak.
The note in its entirety is out on the Web. The overuse of exclamation points reminds me about the stylistic tics permeating American life that are in that note.
Use one. It conveys the message. Anything more makes you look like a 5 year old with ADHD. And this is how I'll treat you.
I am dead serious. If I find a work email with multiple exclamation marks or question marks, I have to question the professionalism of the person sending it. Even and especially if it's a customer, and most definitely if it's coming from management.
I'd kinda expect it from marketing by now. Like I said, it's usually the hallmark of 5 year olds with ADHD, and, well, QED.
One exclamation mark is used so extensively when it isn't really appropriate that more than one is sometimes needed to underscore a point, or convey enthusiasm, etc., and if someone were to treat me like a five-year-old with or without ADHD, because I used "!!!" in a message, I would be more than a little upset. If you did that and I were your customer, I would send your boss an e-mail with a copy of your condescending communique, and tell him or her that my continued patronage is contingent upon a written, formal apology from you, and possibly your termination. (From employment, I mean... not your death, obviously.) If I were your boss, I would probably just fire you. It would depend, obviously, upon the degree of condescension. In any case, three may be needed, in appropriate circumstances. To suggest that only ONE is permissible, given that people already overuse one, begs the question, why do you not insist that NO exclamation marks ever be used? Why not consider the use of ANY words or symbols conveying any emotion or urgency to be inappropriate in a written message?
Also, not to put too fine a point on it, 'QED' means "which was to be demonstrated,’ and is generally taken to mean, "it stands proven". However, you haven't proven anything, you've just stated your opinion; your improper use of "QED" makes you look like a 25 year-old trying to pass for a 35 year-old. (See how condescending that is?)