Semicolon vs. Period?

[Turtle91]

Been married for 20 years...been there and done that...and I agree that it is definitely one way of thinking about it. But it is definitely not the only way...or even the first way that comes to mind. It is all based on the context of the sentence and the context of the conversation.

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Been married for 20 years...been there and done that...and I agree that it is definitely one way of thinking about it. But it is definitely not the only way...or even the first way that comes to mind. It is all based on the context of the sentence and the context of the conversation.

Agreed, the context is essential. If someone says "Does this sentence need a period or an exclamation mark?" No one is confused because the word 'period' also means menstruation. Similarly, over in the UK, they use 'swede' instead of 'rutabaga'. If someone says "I'm going to eat a swede for dinner," people don't spend time considering the possibility that they are talking to a cannibal.

[J. Garrett]

I like to mix things up with a little semicolon action sometimes, but it's not something I do very often. You know, gotta save it for that special occasion.

[HarryT]

Is that really what a "rutabaga" is? It's such an odd word that I've often wondered .

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is that really what a "rutabaga" is? It's such an odd word that I've often wondered .

They don't have Rutabagas in Britain? The world is stranger than I could possibly imagine.

Similar to a turnip, with a taste sort of like a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. IMO, an acquired taste.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ApK

My favorite punctuation-themed rock song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AvS4PjGTZ0

Whenever there is discussion of punctuation, I think of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4qii8S3gw

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Been married for 20 years...been there and done that...and I agree that it is definitely one way of thinking about it. But it is definitely not the only way...or even the first way that comes to mind. It is all based on the context of the sentence and the context of the conversation.

The question is, what meaning is thought of when you read the word period? Let say you read period on a page by itself. What meaning comes to mind?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Whenever there is discussion of punctuation, I think of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4qii8S3gw

I've seen Victor Borge in concert and he did his phonetic reading.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The question is, what is thought of when you read the word period? Let say you read period on a page by itself. What is it that comes to mind?

The same thing as when I see second: Wow, there's a word on the page by itself. Like a great many words, without context there is no meaning.

And, or course, the second thing that comes to mind is: Where's the semi-colon?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by gmw

The same thing as when I see second: Wow, there's a word on the page by itself. Like a great many words, without context there is no meaning.

And, or course, the second thing that comes to mind is: Where's the semi-colon?

What MEANING comes to mind?

[gmw]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What MEANING comes to mind?

That was my point. It's word-association test without any framework. I am reminded on the scene in Armageddon where the guy sees breasts in all the ink blots.

If I put Rorschach on a page on its own then there's a reasonable chance it might convey some fairly predictable meaning to most readers. But put up a word like Period or Second, then any response from the reader relies as much on what they was doing in the time leading up to seeing that word as it does on anything else.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've seen Victor Borge in concert and he did his phonetic reading.

Now you're just trying to make me jealous

[Turtle91]

The question is, what meaning is thought of when you read the word period? Let say you read period on a page by itself. What meaning comes to mind?

If the word was all by itself in a thread I would assume someone was being emphatic about a previous post.


  Period   Period   Period  

First thing that comes to my mind: "replace that mess with a …"

If you are "in the business" and discuss "aunt Flow" regularly then you would probably have a different first thought....but even so, it is still contextual....all the points being made are context based. Even seeing a single word pop up out of the blue in the middle of nowhere relies on some form of context to give it meaning...If your thought processes automatically jump to "flow" then that is an indication of YOUR thought patterns and how you relate to your environment...not that there is anything wrong with that.

My issue with your original comment was your assumption that all adults in America automatically think that when the word comes up. They don't.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

They don't have Rutabagas in Britain? The world is stranger than I could possibly imagine.

Similar to a turnip, with a taste sort of like a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. IMO, an acquired taste.

Yes, we have them but, as mentioned above, we call them "swedes". I didn't know (until reading this thread) that the mysterious, and from a British viewpoint, rather oddly-named "rutabagas", were the same thing.

[Prestidigitweeze]

I'd hate to see what British listeners picture when composers and academics talk about periodic rhythms.