• jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
    14·
    6 hours ago

    I had an ex partner get upset because I used a period at the end of an innocuous text. This is among the reasons why they are my least favorite ex. Just a mess of anxiety and arrogance, where they’d worry about bullshit but be completely convinced that they were right and their way of thinking about things was the only sensible way.

    Unfortunately they’re still distantly connected to the friend group, but luckily I haven’t run into them in years.

  • Wren@lemmy.todayEnglish
    111·
    6 hours ago

    I work so hard to break this habit since an editor told me about distinctive “feminine” traits in writing. Basically, ways women try to lessen the impact of statements, ie:

    “You might like this restaurant, DeLucca’s, I heard it’s supposed to be good !” vs. “Let’s go to DeLucca’s tonight.”

    Solution:

    “I’m going to DeLucca’s at 8 for all you can eat pasta whether you join me or not~”

  • salvaria@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    692·
    10 hours ago

    I’ll do “See you there :)”. In my mind, the emoticon is a much more subtle smile than an emoji.

    (Also I’m older than emojis so emoticons come more naturally lol)

    Edit: this comic was further down on my feed lol

  • palordrolap@fedia.io
    34·
    9 hours ago

    I heard the kids are putting a space before the exclamation mark to tone down its immediacy:

    See you there !

    versus

    See you there!

    I’m old. I guess it works, but then I’m of the “ellipsis isn’t necessarily ominous” generation, so what I think might be completely wrong…

    • tedd_deireadh@lemmy.world
      16·
      9 hours ago

      That’s interesting. Adding a space before the exclamation mark would just make me think it’s a typo and not an intentional punctuation choice.

      And the the use of the ellipsis is something I’ve recently seen in some work correspondence, and to me it came off as sarcastic, not ominous. Which was strange as the sender is usually very polite. So this makes a lot more sense if it’s a generational thing.

      I still don’t understand it though. If not sarcasm, ominous ending, or an interruption, what does an ellipsis signify and why not just use a period?

      • Axolotl@feddit.it
        12·
        8 hours ago

        It mean an incomplete thought or phrase, in some situation it mean the lack of words, i should make some examples maybe

        "They can be used like…

        …this"

        “I don’t really understand… why you did this?” This example show the lack of words for something

        It can also mean disappointment/sadness

        “I though i was gonna win…”

        • tedd_deireadh@lemmy.world
          6·
          8 hours ago

          These are good examples. I suppose I should have clarified that I’m used to seeing ellipsis in literature, but not in interpersonal communication.

          I suppose that’s what threw me off. It just doesn’t feel like a natural way to communicate.

        • Lemminary@lemmy.world
          2·
          8 hours ago

          Yes, thank you! I feel like I’ve read someone sticking to only one usage one too many times and pivoting their entire opinion around that one belief, regardless of how it’s actually used.

          Funnily enough, I’ve also read another use by older folks who use ellipses to indicate a separation of ideas. I find it strange and antiquated, but it’s valid in its context.

      • naticus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        8 hours ago

        I used to use ellipsis a lot and I guess I used it as a lead in from thought to thought and avoid making a new paragraph or something. Now when I see people overly use it, it’s really annoying and I cringe knowing I probably was no better.

        It’s funny because even back then there was a younger guy I knew on Steam. I would give him a lot of flak for using <enter> like a comma. A single sentence or thought might be 7 or 8 lines for no reason, causing so many notification sounds that I’d get pissed at him before even reading the message (version 2 of the Steam message sounds were highly grating to me and I couldn’t tolerate them if it was continuous, probably misophonia before I knew it existed). I was pretty persistent in telling him to finish his thoughts in a single line. Years later he actually thanked me because he realized I wasn’t the only one who hated talking to him and couldn’t make meaningful connections online with friends. I just hope I wasn’t too much of a dick in telling him to correct it.

        Anymore, I try to be as proper in punctuation as I can be. I’m sure when people see the ending period of a casual sentence in a text, they might read too much into it at first until they get used to me.

      • Sc00ter@lemmy.zip
        4·
        7 hours ago

        The space before the ! Is a habit i picked up from auto correct. When i was adopting auto correct, my phone would only recognize . And space as a trigger for some reason (i grew up on t9 with no chat history, so i was there from the beginning). So i would hit space, then ! So I didn’t have to fix the word. Just left the space in. Now its just habit on my phone to space before i !

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
      3·
      7 hours ago

      It’s interesting to me that people put so much effort into creating rules around what subtle punctuation differences mean when there’s a billion reasons not to assume we know what any of it means. Typos, being in a hurry, being a different person with different opinions… Basically texting is like 50% at best for communicating emotions even if we don’t make these random assumptions.

      • moody@lemmings.world
        2·
        6 hours ago

        Tone is very hard to convey through text. I think rules like these can be helpful to get more information across without having to type more words.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
          2·
          6 hours ago

          I mean, that’s exactly my point. Unless you can know people are paying full attention, didn’t make a mistake, and also know/subscribe to the exact same rules, then the potential for misunderstanding is increased not decreased.

          • moody@lemmings.world
            1·
            2 hours ago

            If you want things to move in that direction, it takes momentum. If nobody does it for fear of confusion, then it will never change. So I say we make that little effort, and explain ourselves if need be.

    • blarth@thelemmy.club
      2·
      8 hours ago

      The ellipsis being offensive is rough. For me, it conveys giving space to the reader. It’s polite.

  • Master167@lemmy.worldEnglish
    28·
    10 hours ago

    This is why I never use punctuation anywhere You never know who is reading things and I cant let anyone be left out

  • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today
    6·
    8 hours ago

    Gdamn it. I use plain ellipsis all the time, and I was worried people would take it the wrong way, and now I’m anxious I might be causing someone anxiety!

    • Best_Jeanist@discuss.online
      9·
      7 hours ago

      First impression: You’re old

      Second impression: You don’t really want to do whatever you’re agreeing to, you’re kind of groaning and trailing off at the end

      Third impression: You’re shy… 👉👈

    • kreekybonez@sh.itjust.works
      3·
      6 hours ago

      I always read ellipses as if the speaker is trailing off in a condescending, disappointed, or sarcastic tone.

      “if you think so…”

      “that’s a great idea…”

      “we definitely need more snacks in the house…”

      It doesn’t make me anxious, but it always seems a little rude.

    • Vupware@lemmy.zip
      11·
      7 hours ago

      why would i use punctuation it just makes things read slower why would you add more stuff when the text is still legible without I swear some scholar somewhere way back in history thought he was pulling a ruse with his concept of punctuation and just decided to make everyones life harder