[lit-ideas] Mark of Admiration

From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 4 May 2009 09:54:59 EDT
Just a consideration. Cotgreve notes in 1611  (cited in the OED):

admiratif, th' admirative point,  or point of admiration 
(and of detestation) marked, or  made thus: '!'.

Now, it occurs to me that "!" is not really used as sign  of detestation as 
often as Cotgreve thinks they (anglos) should.

For one,  I don't think it's possible to write, under the  circumstances:

"My mother killed by bridge  collapse!"

--- this would be _very_ offensive. One would  write,

"My mother killed by bridge  collapse"

I'm not sure about headlines (they are ignorant anyways [sic]  those 
newspaper hackers. But it's my idea that the use of "!" is otiose, and  thus a 
mark of 'admiration' _only_. "and of detestation" has to be understood as  
"noting that detestation _is_ a class of 'admiration'" -- to 'admire', to 'look 
 
at', ad-mirare.

"Gotch'em!", as I think M. Thatcher expressed is thus  _detested_ by 
Argentines (on the sinking of the Belgrano). 

If the writer  has the extra time to _write_ "!" it is always a _friendly_  
gesture.

"Americans go home!" should be taken _jocularly_ thus.

If  the King says, "Behead him!" that's one thing. But if he has to write 
his decree  in parchment he'll write, "Behead him". 

In current prose, there is an  ambiguity, due to the lax syntax of anglos:

"Kill  him"

can mean, "you do kill him", rather than "Kill him!"

Etc.  

If Desdemona says to Otello, "I hate you!" That's one thing. But if she  
writes a note that reads,

"I hate you!"

Otello  may well infer: "she loves me. She used the admiration point".  

Cheers,

J. L. Speranza
Buenos  Aires,
author, of "Reflections of an Idler  Syntactician", Isle-of-Wight 
Publications  

**************Remember Mom this Mother's Day! Find a florist near you now. 
(http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=florist&ncid=emlcntusyelp00000006)
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
[lit-ideas] Mark of Admiration

Other related posts:
