Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation over the American

Re:Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation ov... by bambax on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:06AM (#28536867)

Strongly disagree. This is an abomination. Language and typography have to be elegant in addition to intelligible.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation ov... by Stratoscope on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:11AM (#28536911)

Besides, if you look at it upside down, you might be tempted to invoke Godwin's Law.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation ov... by dspillett on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:59AM (#28537216)

They don't have to be. They should be where-ever possible without affecting meaning or legibility.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation ov... by reedf1 on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:11AM (#28536910)

Would you sacrifice clarity for elegance?

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Re:Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation ov... by bambax on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:44AM (#28537121)

Good question! Perhaps one of the most important questions regarding writing...

I would argue clarity and elegance don't oppose one another; elegance means being as clear as possible without being clumsy or heavy handed, and without insulting your reader's intelligence. Said reader is not a machine, they're supposed to be fluent in the language.

We should reduce ambiguity as much as possible, but no more than that. Adding signs where no ambiguity remains only worsens the signal to noise ratio.

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Re:Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation ov... by ttctciyf on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:42AM (#28537110)

What clarity is sacrificed? Is it in doubt that the sentence ended?

The single period favours both elegance and clarity over slavish and unimaginative punctiliousness.

[ Parent | on HN ]