Hello.
We need to talk.
In particular, we need to discuss the use of periods at the end of texts and instant messages. ((Again.)
Although many of us use periods all day, adding that little dot to the end of a text message when writing an email, report, or article every day shifts the meaning from “this sentence is over” to “maybe this” friendship is over. “But how could something so simple appear so passively aggressive? We spoke to you to find out Gretchen McCulloch, Internet linguist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Because internet.
Why do we even use points?
When it comes to points at the end of text messages, McCulloch wants us to take a step back and think about how to resolve two different statements or utterances. In a chat-based format – whether text, Slack, or some other type of instant message – most users do this by sending a new message for every sentence, phrase, or utterance. However, in paper-based communication, the standard way to separate thoughts or utterances is with a period or an odd comma.
“We don’t always speak in full sentences – we speak in utterances,” says McCulloch. “In casual writing, we always look for ways to break up statements that aren’t necessarily as final as a period.” Some people use dashes – others are a fan of the mysterious ellipse at the end of a thought …
Does the use of a period in a text convey emotions?
When we end individual text messages by starting a new message, there are no additional emotions associated with it, explains McCulloch. “Since you need to send the message in order for the person to receive the message, the act of sending it has no meaning beyond ‘I sent it’,” she says.
If we end texts with dots – regardless of whether we recognize or intend to do so – this can lead to an emotional meaning. Time doesn’t have the same emotional impact when we write on paper. In this case, this is just the standard way of splitting different sentences. But in text messages, dots take on additional connotations, says McCulloch: “Anytime you do something that isn’t the default, people tend to interpret it as [meaningful]. ”
In the case of the period at the end of a text message, we usually interpret the punctuation to convey seriousness, formality, or a decrease in the pitch of your voice. “The aggression, or passive aggressiveness, comes when that seriousness collides with the message that is being said,” explains McCulloch. It provides an example of text that says “I feel awful”. Using a period at the end of this message reinforces the fact that you are feeling terrible. Or when you write to someone who says, “I just don’t know.” If you end this message with a period, it will let the person know that you are really sad and really at a loss.
According to McCulloch, the risk of sounding passively aggressive is if you say something in a text message that is usually positive, but you put that “seriousness marker” – the period – at the end. Consider the following texts:
“OK!”
“OK”
“OK.”
According to McCulloch, the message that ends with the exclamation mark conveys that the person sending the message is excited to speak to the recipient. The message without punctuation is neutral. However, if you end this message with a period, the “seriousness marker” will be placed on a word that is usually considered a positive or neutral positive answer. This can lead us to interpret the message as being passively aggressive.
Why are our brains doing this to us? What use is this unnecessary fear? McCulloch says the confusion arises when we use periods for messages with only one utterance that do not require periods to be executed. (For example, the “OK” texts above.) In these cases, we have the option of ending the message with something that conveys arousal or positivity (like an exclamation point!), Or just drop the punctuation altogether and make it neutral . The conscious decision to end text with a period of time when it is not otherwise required “is the point at which, under certain circumstances, people get these” feelings “that a period of time is passively aggressive,” says McCulloch.
Sometimes it is even okay to use a period in a piece of text
At the same time, McCulloch says that ending a text with a period isn’t always passively aggressive – it really depends on the context. For example, if you are sending a message with multiple sentences, the periods are neutral because they are used to separate the sentences. In addition, some people always end texts with habitual periods and mean nothing by that; Therefore, when read in context, their periods look more routine than unusual. In other words, there is no hard and fast rule that periods at the end of text are in any way hostile by default.
So does this mean we should be overly careful and be aware that we are using periods at the end of texts and instant messages? Not necessarily. It is worth considering making sure you are communicating clearly, but we already have a lot to worry about. Many Thanks.
This article was originally published in May 2020. It was updated with revised examples on May 25, 2021 and adapted to the current Lifehacker style guidelines.
