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Among punctuation marks, the exclamation mark is considered a screamer. And because it amplifies the words before it, many associate it with tabloid media – a long line behind the headlines and a period below them so that everyone understands the meaning. However, the front page of Blik, dated October 14, 1959, does not contain any exclamation marks, although the dramaturgy of the article is difficult to beat: “A servant is not a murderer,” “Algeria: Bombs and negotiations.” and “Avalanche Drama”.
Long before the advent of tabloids, exclamation marks on newspaper covers caused a stir. “January 21, 1788 trio!!! “The project of the United States of America has practically failed,” writes the English literary critic Florence Hazrat in her book, just published in German. In 1788, the Boston Gazette wrote: “BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION!!!” and complained that opponents of the Constitution had to be replaced with money—George Washington (1732–1799) had to economize.
“! means heightened attention and protest,” writes Hazrat, who has a PhD and is one of the leading experts in the history and culture of punctuation – in 2021 she was named a “Next Generation Thinker” by the BBC. But the exclamation point is also an expression of emotion. “Even if it’s a smiley face! “If he can win his place as an emotional icon,” writes Hazrat, “he will probably never knock the exclamation mark from its pedestal.”
The exclamation mark is a recent development: the ancient Greeks and Romans linked words together and left no room for punctuation; and from the 5th to the 13th centuries, the anti-progressive church had a monopoly on writing. Hazrat: “The exclamation mark was a stroke of genius by a man who, sometime in the mid-14th century, was seized with the desire to create an entirely new symbol.” This man was the Italian scientist and poet Jacob Alpolei de Urbisaglia.
The first exclamation point in German appeared in the pamphlet of the poet Johann Fischart (1545–1591) “Flöh Hatz, Weiber Tratz” (1545–1591), printed in 1572, a kind of instruction on discipline and order in marriage. Since then, writers have used the punctuation mark in many different ways, from once in The Old Man and the Sea (1952) by Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) to 2,400 times in Purgatory of the Vanities (1987) by Tom Wolfe. (1930.-2018).
“Our repertoire of punctuation has remained unchanged for almost 300 years,” writes Hazrat. “We seem to be very happy with the characters we are already using.” And the exclamation mark will also continue to cultivate its “age-old schizophrenia” (linguist Naomi Baron) and oscillate between grammatical support and vocal imitation.
Source: Blick
I am David Miller, a highly experienced news reporter and author for 24 Instant News. I specialize in opinion pieces and have written extensively on current events, politics, social issues, and more. My writing has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC News. I strive to be fair-minded while also producing thought-provoking content that encourages readers to engage with the topics I discuss.
