Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. Not too long ago, exclamation points were scorned as silly punctuation marks, largely employed by excited teenage girls or inexperienced novelists otherwise having trouble conveying emotions. But today exclamation points are everywhere. Just check your email, text messages, or social media accounts. Exclamation points abound. What accounts for this explosion and is it a good thing?
No one knows for sure who invented the exclamation mark, although it was introduced into English as far back as the late fourteenth century, whereupon it was poetically called the point of admiration. One common theory is that it was derived from the Latin exclamation of joy, which was EO, with the E written above the oh. The look of today's exclamation point. Dr Samuel Johnson, the eighteenth century lexicographer, was the person who coined the word exclamation for sentences
that were pathetical meaningful of emotion. Grammatically speaking, an exclamation point is supposed to be used in just one of two ways to punctuate an exclamatory sentence I can't find my wallet, or to punctuate an interjection hooray. While exclamation marks have long been scorned in formal writing, throughout the centuries, people regularly used them in personal correspondence, and in the late nineteenth century, tabloid journalists and sensationalists often incorporated the
startling marks, which printers called screamers, shrieks, or bangs. During the twentieth century, use the exclamation point calmed down. In fact, while the typewriter was invented in the late eighteen hundreds, the exclamation point wasn't given its own key until nineteen seventy, the reason being that people weren't expected to use it. In professional writing, an exclamation point could be created by typing a period backspacing and then to hyping an apostrophe
on top of it. But around the end of the twentieth century, when the Internet and texting became widespread, followed by social media a decade later, exclamation points began popping up everywhere and in great numbers. Experts say the reason for the increase is that people began communicating predominantly through electronic means versus personal encounters. When we speak with people face to face, we use visual and audio cues to
help determine the meaning behind their words. Think of the difference when someone says great idea with sincerity and a smile versus great idea with sarcasm and an eye roll. When these cues are lost, as happens during text based electronic communication, something else must be used to help determine intent, like the exclamation point. Linguist Gretchen Maccolic noted in an article in the Atlantic that the exclamation point today is
used as a sincerity marker, not an intensity marker. She said, if I end an email with thanks exclamation point, I'm not shouting or being particularly enthusiastic. I'm just trying to convey that I'm sincerely thankful, and I'm saying it with a bit of a social smile. This is especially true
for women. Research shows women use exclamation marks more than men in online communications, ostensibly to demonstrate friendliness, leave one off, and message recipients may view a female writer as rude, cold, or harsh. We spoke with Rachel George, and assistant professor at Washington's Whitman College who teaches courses in linguistic anthropology.
She says the rise in the usage and possible overusage of the exclamation point isn't surprising because all punctuation is flexible when it comes to social media, and being grammatically correct can't always get your whole point across, she said. Because of the way electronic communication represents a combination of the written and spoken word, punctuation becomes much more about
the esthetic and the emotional. She also notes that the rise of the exclamation point may be tied to the fact that research indicates young women and young people of color are linguistic innovators. During the linguistic innovation process, aspects of a new speaking style are initially vilified. Recall how people made fun of Valley Girls speech in the nineteen eighties with its overuse of the word like and it's rise and pitch, the end of sentences, and use of
vocal fry. Yet today aspects of value speak are widespread. So if young women began peppering their texts, emails, and social media posts with exclamation points a decade ago, that may help explain their ubiquity. Now. Another possible reason we're seeing so many screamers maybe the need for speed. According to researchers, we are communicating via the written word more than ever before. And in short bursts. Sometimes an exclamation point comes in handy is shorthand for a few words
or sentences we don't have the time to write. While exclamation points are still frowned upon in some contexts like college term papers, for example, one study showed that company these using exclamation marks on their LinkedIn messages received more clicks on their business to business channels and twenty seven percent more clicks on their business to consumer channels. Despite all of this exclamation point positivity, there is a limit
to their usage in the business world. People who use a lot of exclamation points and messages are more likely to be seen as underlings than supervisors, one study found, and when it comes to posting negative online reviews, another study found that using too many exclamation points causes people to discredit your review. Unless you're an expert in the subject batter, then exclamation points carry more weight. In the end. Time will tell whether high exclamation point usage is here
to stay, linguistic innovation or just a passing fad. So sorry. Today's episode was written by Melanie Red Zekie McManus and produced by Tyler Clay. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radios. How Stuff works for more on this and lots of other banging topics, visit our home planet has stuff works dot com and for more podcasts Rhineheart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows