Buzz
How is language evolving on the internet? In this series on internet linguistics, Gretchen McCulloch breaks down the latest trends in online communication.
Emoticons are crafted from punctuation, but should they be considered punctuation in their own right? Do you need to add punctuation around them? What about emoji? Are they punctuation too, or should punctuation surround them as well?
Let's look at the possibilities:
1. Punctuate after.
This might seem like the most natural choice, but it can often appear awkward:
2. Punctuate before.
Now, let's consider placing punctuation before the emoticon or emoji. This improves some examples:
However, punctuation before makes some cases worse, or even alters their intended meaning:
And how would one even go about placing punctuation "before" the emoticons in "my favourite emoticons are :D, :P, and :)."?
3. Don't use any punctuation.
Emoticons consist of punctuation marks, and emoji are at least part of the "special characters" section on the keyboard. Could they stand on their own without additional punctuation? Let’s see:
This option doesn’t have as many obviously awkward examples as our punctuated alternatives (though I do find the absence of the closing parenthesis and list commas a bit off-putting), but it also feels somewhat lacking in meaning—sure, I could convey most of these, but if I really wanted to use four exclamation marks, I think I’d feel disappointed having to leave them all out.
4. A mixed approach.
It seems there isn't just one way to punctuate emoticons and emoji. Sometimes, punctuation is necessary—using only the opening half of parentheses can look odd, for example. Omitting a question mark creates a specific informal tone that you might not want. And of course, you don't want to confuse "you're on fire!" with "you're on! *flame emoji*". So in such cases, aim to avoid confusion: for instance, I occasionally "upgrade" a :) to a :D to make it clear that the following ) is part of closing the parentheses, not just an overly enthusiastic smile — (this :D) not (this :)).
But that tiny period dangling there? Those exclamation or question marks? They look strange, especially after an emoji, so I'd either leave them out or place them right next to the words, depending on the mood I’m going for. If you're composing a more elaborate emoji-only piece like Emoji Dick, you might choose to add punctuation around your emoji for the same reason we use punctuation in any regular text.
