Irony mark
Encyclopedia
Although in the written English language
there is no standard way to denote irony
or sarcasm
, several forms of punctuation
have been proposed. Among the oldest and frequently attested are the percontation point invented by English printer Henry Denham
in the 1580s, and the irony mark, furthered by French poet Alcanter de Brahm in the 19th century. Both of these marks were represented visually by a backwards question mark
(unicode
). The character can also be represented on Windows
by using the Alt code 1567. Using LaTeX
, one can display it by including the graphicx package, and then using
These punctuation marks are primarily used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level. A bracketed exclamation point and/or question mark as well as scare quotes
are also sometimes used to express irony or sarcasm.
This percontation point (
), later also referred to as a rhetorical question mark, was invented by Henry Denham
in the 1580s and was used at the end of a question which does not require an answer--a rhetorical question
. Its use died out in the 17th century. It was the reverse of an ordinary question mark, so that instead of the main opening pointing back into the sentence, it opened away from it. This character can be represented using the reversed question mark () found in Unicode as U+2E2E.
can be used to ask a rhetorical question in addition to expressing excitement or disbelief in the form of a question.
It was in turn taken by Hervé Bazin
in his book Plumons l’Oiseau ("Let's pluck the bird", 1966), in which the author proposes several other innovative punctuation marks, such as the "doubt point" (
), "certitude point" (
), "acclamation point" (
), "authority point" (
), "indignation point" (
), and "love point" (
).
are a particular use of quotation mark
s. They are placed around a word or phrase to indicate that the word or phrase is not used in the fashion that the writer would personally use it. In contrast to the nominal typographic purpose of quotation marks, the enclosed words are not necessarily quoted from another source.
, sometimes use an exclamation mark within brackets or parentheses to mark sarcasm: (!). Likewise, Karl Marx
uses the exclamation mark within brackets repeatedly throughout Das Kapital
, Volume 1. For example, in one instance, to ridicule Colonel Torrens: "The problem is in no way simplified if extraneous matters are smuggled in, as with Colonel Torrens: 'effectual demand consists in the power and inclination[!] , on the part of the consumers, to give for commodities, either by immediate or circuitous barter...'".
The question mark can also be used as a "meta
" sign to signal uncertainty regarding what precedes. It is usually put between parentheses ["(?)"]. The uncertainty may concern either a superficial aspect of the text (such as unsure spelling) or a deeper level of meaning.
It is common in online conversation among computer specialists to use a pseudo-HTML
element:
is often used as well, particularly in instant messaging
, while a Twitter
-style hashtag, #sarcasm, is also gaining currency.
Emoticons can also be used in text, most often in informal writing, to denote sarcasm.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
there is no standard way to denote irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
or sarcasm
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
, several forms of punctuation
Punctuation
Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the structure and organization of written language, as well as intonation and pauses to be observed when reading aloud.In written English, punctuation is vital to disambiguate the meaning of sentences...
have been proposed. Among the oldest and frequently attested are the percontation point invented by English printer Henry Denham
Henry Denham
Henry Denham was one of the outstanding English printers of the sixteenth century.He was apprenticed to Richard Tottel and took up the freedom of the Stationers' Company on August 30, 1560. In 1564 he set up his own printing house in White Cross Street, Cripplegate, but in the following year he...
in the 1580s, and the irony mark, furthered by French poet Alcanter de Brahm in the 19th century. Both of these marks were represented visually by a backwards question mark
Question mark
The question mark , is a punctuation mark that replaces the full stop at the end of an interrogative sentence in English and many other languages. The question mark is not used for indirect questions...
(unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
). The character can also be represented on Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
by using the Alt code 1567. Using LaTeX
LaTeX
LaTeX is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. Within the typesetting system, its name is styled as . The term LaTeX refers only to the language in which documents are written, not to the editor used to write those documents. In order to...
, one can display it by including the graphicx package, and then using
\reflectbox?.These punctuation marks are primarily used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level. A bracketed exclamation point and/or question mark as well as scare quotes
Scare quotes
Scare quotes are quotation marks placed around a word or phrase to indicate that it does not signify its literal or conventional meaning.- History :Use of the term "scare quotes" appears to have arisen at some point during the first half of the 20th century...
are also sometimes used to express irony or sarcasm.
Percontation point
The modern question mark (? U+003F) is descended from the "punctus interrogativus" (described as "a lightning flash, striking from right to left"), but unlike the modern question mark, the punctus interrogativus may be contrasted with the punctus percontativus—the former marking questions that require an answer while the latter marks rhetorical questions.This percontation point (
), later also referred to as a rhetorical question mark, was invented by Henry DenhamHenry Denham
Henry Denham was one of the outstanding English printers of the sixteenth century.He was apprenticed to Richard Tottel and took up the freedom of the Stationers' Company on August 30, 1560. In 1564 he set up his own printing house in White Cross Street, Cripplegate, but in the following year he...
in the 1580s and was used at the end of a question which does not require an answer--a rhetorical question
Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply. Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to think about what the answer to the question must be. When a speaker states, "How much longer must our people...
. Its use died out in the 17th century. It was the reverse of an ordinary question mark, so that instead of the main opening pointing back into the sentence, it opened away from it. This character can be represented using the reversed question mark (
) found in Unicode as U+2E2E.Interrobang
A sentence ending with an interrobangInterrobang
The interrobang, interabang , , is a nonstandard punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark and the exclamation mark or exclamation point . The glyph is a superimposition of these two marks...
can be used to ask a rhetorical question in addition to expressing excitement or disbelief in the form of a question.
Irony mark
The irony mark or irony point ( ) is a punctuation mark proposed by the French poet Alcanter de Brahm (alias Marcel Bernhardt) at the end of the 19th century used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level (e.g. irony, sarcasm, etc.). It is illustrated by a small, elevated, backward-facing question mark.It was in turn taken by Hervé Bazin
Hervé Bazin
Hervé Bazin was a French writer, whose best-known novels covered semi-autobiographical topics of teenage rebellion and dysfunctional families.- Biography :...
in his book Plumons l’Oiseau ("Let's pluck the bird", 1966), in which the author proposes several other innovative punctuation marks, such as the "doubt point" (
), "certitude point" (), "acclamation point" (), "authority point" (), "indignation point" (), and "love point" ().Scare quotes
Scare quotesScare quotes
Scare quotes are quotation marks placed around a word or phrase to indicate that it does not signify its literal or conventional meaning.- History :Use of the term "scare quotes" appears to have arisen at some point during the first half of the 20th century...
are a particular use of quotation mark
Quotation mark
Quotation marks or inverted commas are punctuation marks at the beginning and end of a quotation, direct speech, literal title or name. Quotation marks can also be used to indicate a different meaning of a word or phrase than the one typically associated with it and are often used to express irony...
s. They are placed around a word or phrase to indicate that the word or phrase is not used in the fashion that the writer would personally use it. In contrast to the nominal typographic purpose of quotation marks, the enclosed words are not necessarily quoted from another source.
Temherte slaqî
In certain Ethiopic languages, sarcasm and unreal phrases are indicated at the end of a sentence with a sarcasm mark called temherte slaqî or temherte slaq (U+00A1) ( ¡ ), a character that looks like the inverted exclamation point.Other typography
Rhetorical questions in some informal situations can use a bracketed question mark, e.g. "Oh, really[?]"--The equivalent for an ironic or sarcastic statement would be a bracketed exclamation mark, e.g. "Oh, really[!]". Subtitles, such as in TeletextTeletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
, sometimes use an exclamation mark within brackets or parentheses to mark sarcasm: (!). Likewise, Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
uses the exclamation mark within brackets repeatedly throughout Das Kapital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
, Volume 1. For example, in one instance, to ridicule Colonel Torrens: "The problem is in no way simplified if extraneous matters are smuggled in, as with Colonel Torrens: 'effectual demand consists in the power and inclination
The question mark can also be used as a "meta
Meta
Meta- , is a prefix used in English to indicate a concept which is an abstraction from another concept, used to complete or add to the latter....
" sign to signal uncertainty regarding what precedes. It is usually put between parentheses ["(?)"]. The uncertainty may concern either a superficial aspect of the text (such as unsure spelling) or a deeper level of meaning.
It is common in online conversation among computer specialists to use a pseudo-HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
element:
/s placed at the end of a comment to indicate a sarcastic tone for the preceding text. A "rolling eyes" emoticonEmoticon
An emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
is often used as well, particularly in instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
, while a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
-style hashtag, #sarcasm, is also gaining currency.
Emoticons can also be used in text, most often in informal writing, to denote sarcasm.
See also
- EmoticonEmoticonAn emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
- Inverted question and exclamation marks (¿¡)
- Mirrored question mark