Exclamation Nation: Thoughts from the Champions and Detractors of Our Studio’s Most Divisive Punctuation Mark
Much More Than Just a Dot and a Dash
By Bryan Buenacosa-Brooks
Anyone who has recorded an interview and made a transcription of it will recognize how our speech is often incoherent and incomplete when reduced to simple, written strings of characters. Yet in the moment, we can follow someone’s speech through these incoherencies because of our ability to elide slips and abrupt transitions, and we bind everything together with non-word signifiers like tone and the body language of the speaker.
Exclamation marks (among other things like emojis) attempt to concretize these subjective signifiers that are otherwise uncapturable in the written form. Others have written well about why these signifiers have so much cultural and psychological importance, and hence why the exclamation mark gets used so often in writing nowadays. I want to focus on something else at work beneath all that. The increasing prominence of the usage of marks and emojis seems to be a symptom of a larger, more insidious cultural shift.
Before the quick written communication forms of the last 20-30 years, one primarily communicated present thoughts and needs through speech. Writing served a different purpose – to convey a more complex, coherent thought, need, or ramification for whatever is being written about. The two, speech and writing, hold distinct properties, advantages, and purposes. But the rise of email, texting, and social media as primary forms of communication is steadily pulling speech and writing closer to each other. One could almost classify a third communication form: speech, writing, and speech-writing – with emails, texts, and social posts falling into this third, messy in-between.
Speech-writing supposedly offers us the convenience of not having to directly communicate with someone on the one hand (you have to find them, deal with their emotions, pretend to be interested in them as a person – so inconvenient!), and to not have to engage in the kind of thoughtful, long-form communication that proper writing of a letter, article, or book entails on the other. But we risk losing something in this merging: that writing can inform and evolve our speech patterns. Philosopher Alva Noë says as much:
Let us stipulate that writing privileges norms of speech that may in fact be quite strange and inaccurate or prescribed. But notice that writing, by giving us a resource for thinking about what we are doing when we are talking, also affords us opportunities to think about our talking and so, also, to talk differently. (Strange Tools, p. 35)
From this point I would argue that the overuse of signifiers like exclamation marks in writing – as an attempt to convey the absent emotional and embodied communicative enhancers of speech – shortcuts this opportunity for the writer to think about what they are doing when they are talking. Such thinking could lead to new discoveries or ideas about how to communicate more clearly in both speech and writing. Instead, the exclamation mark cuts short the thinking process.
As we write, a line of thinking might go like this:
I need to write about a certain thing
This is how I talk (speak) about it
Is the way I talk about it the best way to convey my point?
What other ways could I talk about it?
Let me try some alternatives since I am writing this now. Later, when I speak about it, perhaps the way I talk about it will change.
Using exclamation marks and other symbols suggests that the line of thinking ends or becomes much weaker after Step 2: if how I talk about it requires exclamations marks to convey it in writing, then I will use exclamation marks rather than continue to think about alternatives.
When writing and speaking merge into speech-writing What we find is not a marvelous synthesis of the two, but an impoverished devolution of both. For them to merge, the most interesting and complicated parts of both must be removed for the commonalities to join together. Rather than building a bridge over the chasm between speech and writing, it seems that speech-writing has fallen into the chasm.
Let’s not also forget the importance of inconvenience in thinking and growth. When I use speech-writing, I avoid the inconveniences of both speech and writing. It is inconvenient to speak with other people because others are unknowable. And it is inconvenient to writing about something because it requires me to fully wrestle with the clarity and purpose of what I wish to write. But within those inconveniences lies the very nature and power of thinking: to wrestle with something, endure it, and find your position to it changed. This all might be a very convoluted answer to why one should avoid using exclamation marks in writing, but deserves some thought. So I encourage you to have a real conversation with another person about it, or write down your own thoughts, and in so doing discover how they grow and change.
The More the Merrier
By Faith Hardersen
Oh, exclamation points, how I adore thee! These little superheroes of punctuation have a mighty role to play in the world of written communication. You see, when we transcribe speech, we often lose the pizzazz and flair that make our words come alive. And losing this joyous energy is especially difficult when it comes to digital communications like emails, Slack messages, and even text messages. But fear not, for exclamation points are here to save the day!
In a world where our messages are reduced to mere strings of characters, exclamation points inject much-needed energy and enthusiasm. As a generally enthusiastic person, there is rarely a communication I have written that does not include an exclamation point. They're like the spice that adds zest to our words, making them pop off the page! They say “Hi, I am saying this with a smile!”
Let's not forget the cultural and psychological importance of these exclamation point superheroes. They're not just random symbols; they carry meaning and impact. When we sprinkle exclamation points throughout our writing, we tap into a shared language of excitement, surprise, and urgency. Even as a small child, exclamation points were introduced to me under another name, “excited marks”. Now was this because “exclamation” is a difficult word for 6 year olds? Absolutely! But the sentiment behind “excited marks” has stayed with me.
Hold on a second, naysayers! I hear your counter argument, and while it's important to consider all perspectives, let's not be too quick to dismiss our exclamation point allies. Yes, writing should challenge us to think deeply and explore alternative forms of expression. But who says we can't do that while embracing the exclamation point's playful power?
Sure, exclamation points might seem like a shortcut, but they're more like a springboard to creativity. They encourage us to think outside the box and find new ways to convey our points. When we engage in the delightful dance of exclamation points, we might stumble upon fresh ideas or discover exciting ways to communicate both in speech and writing.
Let's not take ourselves too seriously, my friends. The merging of speech and writing into this marvelous, messy in-between of speech-writing is not a catastrophe; it's an opportunity! We can embrace the convenience of this hybrid form while still nurturing our ability to think deeply and grow.
Does this mean you will receive an email from me with at least two exclamation points no matter the topic? Yes, but that is because I find joy in connecting with people, even if that is just via email. Does that stray from the original use of the punctuation? Absolutely! As someone who has grown up in the world of digital communication and has been working in social media marketing for years, my first instinct is to write as I speak. I also know exclamation points have their time and place, so no worries, there are still many instances where we have to say goodbye to our peppy punctuation pal.
So, my fellow exclamation point enthusiasts, let's celebrate the power of these energetic symbols. They add that extra sparkle to our words, making them dance on the page. And while we explore the delights of exclamation points, let's also engage in meaningful conversations, wrestle with our thoughts, and relish the joy of personal growth. Because in the end, it's through this playful exploration that we discover new perspectives and unlock the true potential of our communication skills!