In his oral speech, in order to convey the desired meaning, a person actively uses the corresponding intonation and pauses. They are distinctive signals between parts of a statement. Writing in any language also has similar signals. They are called punctuation marks, they are graphic characters. In Russian linguistics there is a whole section that is devoted to the rules for the placement of signs in writing. This is what punctuation studies.
Why do we need commas?
The term "punctuation mark" is derived from the verb "punish", which literally means "stop and delay." And, it seems, he copes well with his task. For many people , punctuation marks become a stumbling block in written language. Their incorrect arrangement or complete disregard, and this also happens, can turn even a competently written text into a useless set of words or phrases. On the other hand, correctly placed characters fill the written text with meaning, facilitate its perception, dividing into separate fragments and enriching with emotions.
Why study punctuation? Punctuation marks with skillful use help the author highlight the idea and give the text the correct sound. They are also compared with musical notes, which give rise to beautiful music in an appropriate scenario. Thus, periods and commas help to meet the needs of written communication. And this leads to the understanding that it is necessary to study punctuation so that what is written is correctly interpreted by the addressee.
A bit of history
According to some sources, the birth of punctuation occurred in ancient Greece. They mention that the Greeks used some signs for expressive reading - recitation. Nothing more is known about the further fate of these signs. And in the 16th century, punctuation first appeared in European countries, whose origin is associated with the Italian publishers Manutius. They came up with punctuation marks, which to this day are used unchanged in many languages.
Russian punctuation, which is being studied in our time, has acquired its main features as a system of signs by the 18th century. This is directly related to the invention and development of typography. Printing workers had to present the text so that readers could correctly perceive what they read. It is they who need to do justice to the “invention” or, better to say, the introduction of punctuation in Russia.
Understanding the importance of punctuation marks, or rather attempts to interpret them, came with the names of L. Zizania and M. Grek. It was extremely difficult to read Old Russian texts, moreover, they didn’t put spaces in those days either. Later M.V. Lomonosov, engaged in the development of punctuation issues, determined that the arrangement of characters in a letter is determined by the structure and semantic aspect of speech. In his theory, he determines the number of signs and their purpose, which gave rise to a whole system.
Punctuation - Grammar Section
Modern punctuation (the Latin word punctum - dot) is a developed and rather complex system. This is one of the sections of grammar that studies the established rules for placing punctuation marks on letters. Also in this section, the signs themselves are considered, as a special part of the graphic system of the language, for the separation of written speech. The basic rules of punctuation study that there are some patterns of using the same sign in different cases. The rules are normative in nature, they will be equivalent for all types of writing.
The punctuation unit is represented by a punctogram - a character that is reproduced on a letter, in accordance with the accepted rules and regulations. The entire punctuation alphabet consists of ten paragraphograms. This is a dot, a comma, a colon, a dash, a semicolon, quotation marks, an ellipsis, parentheses, an exclamation mark, and a question mark. You may notice that unlike the traditional alphabetic alphabet, this one has a free listing order. At the same time, some tend to select a dot and a comma as the main punctuation marks.
As was noted in practice, the signs themselves do not cause much difficulty, but the rules for their arrangement in the text make many stumble. The emerging difficulties indicate that it is necessary to study punctuation in the Russian language.
Making text with signs
Not so long ago, the basis of Russian punctuation was influenced by unilateral views, any separate principle of the arrangement of signs on letters in contrast to others stood out. But now, the distinguished principles form a whole system of punctuation and any grammatical phenomenon can be shown from different angles.
Basic principles of punctuation:
- Intonation. Here, punctuation marks reflect the intonation of a person’s voice, conveying its shades.
- The syntax principle. Punctuation marks are placed according to the structure of the sentence, its structure.
- Structural and syntactic. Punctuation marks design text or sentence.
- The semantic principle. The design of the text with signs is associated with its semantic division.
Modern punctuation rules take into account the meaning, structure, and intonational division of speech.
Punctuation Tasks
All punctograms of the Russian language are divided into two groups and perform the tasks assigned to them. Signs will either separate from each other the semantic parts of the text, or highlight certain segments within these parts.
The responsibilities of the punctuation marks are: dot, comma, semicolon, dash, ellipsis, exclamation point and question mark. And the role of the selection function is handled by paired itemograms: commas, dashes, quotes, brackets. They isolate the necessary words, phrases, phrases or even individual sentences.
In addition to the accepted punctuation standards that are studied in Russian, there are many options for the author's arrangement of characters that are not related to the rules. The authors use this approach not only to convey the accuracy of their thoughts, but also to give the written special expressiveness and intonational brightness. Therefore, the functional importance of punctuation is difficult to overestimate, especially when it comes to complex and voluminous texts.