The Zero Period Rule or the Sing Communicative Potential in Digital Punctuation

Abstract

The article discusses the communicative potential of the period (and its absence) in personal messages. The research is based on the results of a survey of NSU students as well as scientific works on the theory and practice of punctuation. It has been observed that many internet users believe that using a period at the end of a text can convey aggression, and therefore avoid using it. To study the persistence of this stereotype a questionnaire survey was conducted amongstudents. The reasons for the absence of a punctuation mark in personal communication can be attributed to several factors: 1) saving time; 2) forgetfulness; 3) disregard of punctuation norms; 4) meaninglessness of the action; 5) force of habit and laziness. One of the most common reasons is communicative in nature, which involves accommodating the interlocutor who might perceive punctuation as negative. According to the respondents, the omission of the end- point is seen as a marker of informality in communication, and the period is primarily perceived as a dividing sign rather than a signal of sentence completion: the empty end-of-line space swallows up the sign. The action of «completing a thought» that the period sign expresses is replaced by another action, where the addressee gives the command to send a message instead of typing a punctuation mark. The punctuation system thus includes linguistic and discursive units. In addition, in the context of Internet communication, the period acts as a signal of the end of communication.