短信標點符號背后的秘密

湖南 何高倫

對于常用短信息溝通的年輕人來說，短信息中的標點符號背后隱藏著很大的秘密。

題材文化 說明文體裁 文章詞數 建議用時約3556分鐘

難詞探意

1. linguist /?l??ɡw?st/ n. 語言學家

2. consistently/k?n?s?st?ntli/adv.一貫地；一致地

3. passive-aggressive /?p?s?v ??ɡres?v/ adj.（行為、性格）消極反抗的；消極對抗的

4. flexible /?fleks?bl/ adj. 靈活的；柔韌的

Katherine Rooks, a Denver-based writer,had sent her son a text message about coming home from school.

“I could tell from his response that he became upset suddenly in our thread. And when he came home, he came over and said, ‘What did you mean by this?'” Rooks was confused.“So we looked at the text together and I said,‘Well, I meant, see you later, or something. I don't remember exactly what it said.’ And he said, ‘But you ended with a full stop! I thought you were really angry！ ' ” Rooks wasn't angry,and she explained to her son that, well, periods are how you end a sentence.

But in text-messaging—at least for younger adults—periods do more than just end a sentence: they also can set a tone. Gretchen McCulloch, a linguist, said that when it comes to text-messaging, the period has lost its original purpose. But that doesn't mean the period has lost all the purposes in text-messaging. Now it can be used to indicate seriousness or a sense of finality. “But caution is needed,” said McCulloch, noting that problems can start to arise when you combine a period with a positive emotion, like “sure” or “sounds good”.

A period can accidentally set a tone. A recent study conducted by Binghamton University psychology professor Celia Klin confirmed this.Researchers asked undergraduates to evaluate a text exchange that included an innocent question and the answer “Yes”. Some saw “Yes” with a period and some saw the word without. They found consistently through many experiments that “Yes” with a period resulted in responses that were more negative. So people thought“Yes” with a period was less friendly, less sincere, and so on. “I really don't like getting text messages that end in periods because it always feels so passive-aggressive,” said Juan Abenante Rincon, 24, a social media manager for Adidas. “Like, are you mad? What's going on? Like, did I do something wrong?”

Klin said this demonstrates language is constantly changing. “Language evolution has happened; it'll continue to happen, and isn't it great that we're so linguistically flexible and creative?”

1. Why does the text begin with Katherine's conflict with her son?

A. To lead in the use of periods in texting.

B. To emphasize the great power of words.

C. To show youngsters' attitudes towards texting.

D. To suggest the right use of punctuation marks.

2. Which of the following is considered insincere in texting?

A. A positive word ending in a full stop.

B. A short sentence with a question mark.

C. A single word without a punctuation mark.

D. An innocent question without a question mark.

3. What could be McCulloch's opinion about full stops in text-messaging?

A. They are almost unnecessary.

B. They mean ending a sentence.

C. They just indicate negative emotions.

D. They should be used more cautiously.

4. Why is Juan Abenante Rincon mentioned in the text?

A. To make assessments on the recent study.

B. To show great support for the recent study.

C. To confirm the findings of the recent study.

D. To put forward doubts about the recent study.

5. What is Celia Klin's attitude towards the changes in the meanings of full stops?

A. Worried. B. Conservative.

C. Positive. D. Disapproving.

Sentence for writing

Gretchen McCulloch, a linguist, said that when it comes to text-messaging, the period has lost its original purpose.

【信息提取】when it comes to...意為“當涉及/談及……時”。

【句式仿寫】當談及花錢時，他們真的很謹慎。