From Syntax to Subtext
From Syntax to Subtext
Ending a short text with a period has a passive aggressive tone. Something that can start an argument fast. “Sounds good”- reads like a simple agreement, “Sounds good.”- can feel like a threat.
In person, tone relies on voice, pitch, facial expressions, body language and social cues. On a phone, these cues vanish in their entirety: emojis and punctuation are left to fill the gaps to 
What makes this compelling, to me, is how the audience drastically alters the context of the semantics of a message. If you put a period in a message to a colleague, its regular sentence mechanics. Whereas the same behaviour in a group chat, it feels like a shift in the demeanor and tone. We constantly switch our words to manage our relationships and signal belonging to our social groups.
In a Binghamton University study on digital communication, psychology professor Celia Klin found messages ending in a period were consistently rated as more distant than those without one. Klin notes that this isn’t lazy writing, texters rather adapt punctuation to serve a rhetorical function filling in the gaps that physical cues hold. These decisions made in a text thread are just as intentional as rhetorical moves in an essay, they define how we present ourselves in digital spaces.
Hi Nakul! I really relate to your blog and I think it perfectly encapsulates how small changes in writing create huge meanings. Many times my dad ends messages with a period and I instantly know I am in serious trouble; your comparison between “Sounds good” and “Sounds good.” immediately reminded me of this. I recall one time while I was out with my friends late at night, my dad texted me “come home”, and I didn’t respond. A few moments later my dad texted me “Come home.”, and I ran home instantly. I also liked your point that punctuations and emojis replace facial expressions—as a really active user of the “😭” emoji, I know it can change how someone interprets what I say. I think it is really cool how this generation has created all these texting rules without standard conventions like the English language. Overall, your topic is something that affects everyone in the present day, but most people do not recognize it. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed this too! My parents always respond to my messages, ending theirs with ellipses, creating a feeling of ominous tension, but that is just how they text. This feeling of each character holding so much weight and alternative messages is more prevalent in younger demographics, as my parents and older mentors do not seem to notice this. It is amusing when people with the most bubbly personalities text me short messages using formal punctuation and proper grammar, which has been coined as “dry texting.” The person still has this same personality but does not showcase it through their texting style. This post really made me think about how prevalent technology has become that we notice these small details of texting styles, as less than a lifetime ago, nothing like this would have existed.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this. Sometimes I feel like the tone a friend takes online really affects our friendship in person, as the responses can either be scripted in a really awkward "okay." tone or a really joyous "okay!" tone. I feel as if how the other side chooses to respond really sets the pace and mood for hangouts because, well, why would I want to continue with this plan if everyone else couldn't care? Sometimes I find it really funny when people who are so talkative online suddenly take a nonchalant identity online, like their phone gives them an alter ego! This is a very interesting first article, and I look forward to more from you in the future!
ReplyDelete