Branch signs in Russian. Why is punctuation needed and what are the punctuation marks?

Helps to structure written text. Their use is regulated by punctuation rules specific to each language. They are not always easy to learn, so a lot of errors occur in this section. So, when studying foreign languages, very few programs include punctuation. However, this section is no less important than grammar or spelling, although it is only needed in So what are the punctuation marks?

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The main punctuation units in any language are the period, comma, as well as interrogative and Exclamation point And. With their help, you can correctly express your thoughts, although not always with sufficient accuracy. In total, ten icons are used in modern Russian: in addition to those already mentioned, these are the dash and colon, which will be discussed separately. In addition, these are brackets and quotation marks that have a separating function. Also the ellipsis, which ends a thought, and the semicolon, which play the same role, but within the same sentence.

As you can see, the list is small, but each of the listed punctuation units has its own purpose. Sometimes they are interchangeable, but more often they are not.

Classification

There are several options for dividing punctuation units. Firstly, on the basis of pairing. That is, in the case of placing one punctuation mark, it is necessary to supplement it with a second one. The paired categories include brackets, quotation marks, as well as double commas and dashes.

According to the second classification, all punctuation marks can be divided into 3 categories. For example, these:

Selection marks. They are intended to indicate the boundaries of various syntactic constructions and isolation. It is this category that paired signs belong to. They allow you to clearly structure a sentence and see its significant parts.
Branch signs. They mark the boundary between independent sentences, including those within complex structures. In addition, they indicate the type. This includes everything that is not included in the first paragraph.
Sometimes the red line is highlighted separately. It denotes a change in topic or a new turn in a story or argument.

Functions

It may seem that in modern world punctuation is already an atavism. As a rule, even without periods it is possible to delimit sentences, and even without commas it is most often clear what is meant we're talking about. What can we say about other signs that are much less common? And yet, it is extremely difficult to do without them.

Firstly, they allow you to make mental pauses and differentiate phrases without turning the text into a meaningless set of letters and words. Secondly, they transmit a huge amount various shades- uncertainty, half-statement, etc. Without such a powerful tool as punctuation, this would be very difficult to achieve. In addition, it would be extremely difficult to understand official documents, agreements and contracts without punctuation marks. A misplaced comma can completely change the meaning of the entire sentence - and this is no joke.

So the role of punctuation marks is important, no matter how their opponents claim the opposite. After all, many linguists are of the opinion that any unnecessary introductions into the language simply do not take root, while the significant parts are retained in any case. And then, the famous “execution cannot be pardoned” is just one example, but in fact there are thousands of them. Any punctuation mark is an important part of the sentence that cannot be neglected.

History of origin and development

It is difficult to imagine how one can do without punctuation, but the current situation has developed relatively recently, and perhaps the process of development of this language section is still ongoing. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to observe how the origin and development of punctuation occurred.

The oldest punctuation mark is the period, which is found in ancient Russian monuments writing. But its use was not regulated in any way, and the location on the line was different - not at the bottom, but in the middle. The rules for staging it became more similar to modern ones around the 16th century.

The comma became widespread around the 15th century. Its name comes from an obsolete verb meaning stop, delay. The root word in this case is “stammer.” And the most observant ones will notice one more thing. For example, the fact that “punctuation”, by etymology, goes back to the same root.

Most of the other signs were introduced into widespread use before the 18th century. Lomonosov, Karamzin and many other prominent scientists contributed to their popularization. Modern punctuation rules for the Russian language were adopted in 1956 and are still in effect.

Correct use of punctuation units

Punctuation isn't always easy. At the end of a sentence there are four options to choose from, and within a phrase... It is not surprising that so much time is devoted to the study of punctuation. It may be somewhat difficult to remember all the rules, but the basic ones are simply necessary.

Commas: correct use

Since this sign is the most common, it is not surprising that it accounts for the most problems. A comma is a sign that separates simple sentences within a complex sentence. It is also used in listings, for highlighting introductory constructions, applications, isolating participial, participial and comparative phrases and many other purposes. It is perhaps quite difficult to list them all, since this is a huge part school curriculum. However, it should be remembered that a comma also always distinguishes the address. Punctuation marks require careful attention, and neglecting the rules for their placement for a native speaker is, first of all, disrespect for one’s own person.

Direct speech and dialogue

It is this topic that causes the greatest difficulty for both schoolchildren and adults. And if there are fewer problems with the dialogue, because dashes are simply placed before each line, then punctuation marks in direct speech simply become a stumbling block, especially if introducing words are also used.

In order to correctly format this part of the text, you need to know that the replica itself, along with its own punctuation marks, is highlighted in quotation marks. If introducing words are used, then a comma is used instead of a period, which in this case is taken out of the statement. Interrogative and always saved. As for the formatting of the author’s words, it depends on the division of the replicas. If they are a single sentence, interrupted by an explanation, then it is written with a small letter and highlighted with a dash and colon. Only one pair of quotation marks is placed - at the beginning and at the end of direct speech. This probably sounds a little confusing in theory, but in practice it’s not difficult to figure out.

Using dash and colon

Grammar in the Russian language presupposes the existence and this means the demand for the above-mentioned punctuation marks. Their purpose is approximately the same, and they both can be replaced by a comma, which, however, will not convey the desired shades.

A colon is necessary if the subsequent part or even a whole simple sentence more fully reveals the meaning of the previous one, adds details, etc. A dash is in the opposite situation. Of course, they have other functions, but they are also a large enough part of the school curriculum that it deserves detailed consideration.

Differences in punctuation between Russian and European languages

When studying our native language, we do not always think about what punctuation marks exist in foreign dialects and whether they serve the same function. Of course, the rules of punctuation are also different, but we are not talking about them now.

A striking example is the Spanish language. Question and exclamation sentences are highlighted more prominently in it, because the corresponding marks are placed not only at the end, but also at the beginning of phrases, so that they are paired along with quotation marks or parentheses.

By the way, in English language Often, instead of an ellipsis at the end of direct speech, you can find a dash. And the Greeks can put [;] instead of a question mark. It's difficult to guess without knowing. So it’s not always worth thinking about the rules that the Russian language sets. Punctuation marks and ways of using them are different everywhere.

Eastern languages

Japanese and Chinese remain true to tradition, despite the influence of Europe. So, the dot looks like a circle and is sometimes placed in the center of the line, and sometimes just like a regular one. This was done to avoid confusion, since the European sign could be mistaken for part of the last hieroglyph.

There are also two types of commas: regular and teardrop. The first, for example, separates simple sentences as part of a complex one, and the second - homogeneous members.

Little-known punctuation marks

It may seem that the previously mentioned list is more than exhaustive. But, strangely enough, this is not so. So, what punctuation marks exist that few people know about and are practically never used? There are a little more than a dozen of the most famous:

Interrobang. This combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark in one unit looks exotic, but interesting. Of course, it is easier and more common to write “?!”, especially since the meaning will be the same, but supporters of the introduction of interrobang believe that it looks more representative in writing.
Rhetorical It was in use for about 20 years at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. In fact, it is a mirror image of a regular question mark.
Asterism. Previously, chapters or their parts were separated from each other precisely by this sign, which was three stars arranged in the form of a triangle. But quite a long time ago they were replaced by the same asterism, but located in the form of a straight segment.
Ironic sign. It may seem too similar to the rhetorical one, although it is smaller, located above the line and has a completely different function, as the name suggests. It was invented in the 19th century.
Love sign. Its function is also obvious from the name, and it itself is a combination of two interrogatives, mirrored to each other, with one dot.
Agreement sign. It is a combination of two exclamation marks with one period. Expresses a show of goodwill or greeting.
A sign of confidence. Serves the function of emphasizing a strong opinion regarding the statement made. It is an exclamation mark crossed out by a short horizontal line.
Question comma. Used to emphasize interrogative intonation within one sentence. By analogy, there is an exclamation comma.
Sarcastic sign. It is a kind of snail with a dot inside and is protected by copyright. It is used to specifically emphasize that the sentence behind which it is located contains sarcasm.
Snark sign. It can also be typed on a regular keyboard, since it is just a period followed by a tilde - [.~]. It is used to show that the sentence it follows is not to be taken literally and has a hidden meaning.

Quite an interesting set, but to many it seems redundant. And although the role of some of these signs seems necessary, language ultimately displaces inappropriate and unused things. This is probably what happened in this case.

However, natural languages are far from the only discipline in which there is the concept of punctuation. However, this topic requires separate consideration. It would be much more appropriate to consider the influence modern trends for placement of punctuation marks.

Punctuation and Netiquette

Since communication on the Internet initially most often implies informality, some simplification and disregard for the rules of the Russian (and not only) language is quite natural. There has even been a concept of netiquette, which includes the question of how to place punctuation marks.

For example, a period at the end of a long dialogue is a sign that the interlocutor wants to close the topic. In other cases it looks rude and cold. A large number of exclamation marks means, depending on the context, strong negative or positive emotions. An ellipsis can show despair, thoughtfulness, melancholy and some other shades of mood that can hardly be called positive. The placement of commas in online communication is rarely the subject of serious thought, because the goal is to convey the essence to the interlocutor, and the presentation of thoughts in this case is secondary. However, you cannot neglect the placement of question marks - this is bad manners.

Although these rules are different from the general rules, they are not difficult to remember. And, of course, you need to take into account that they do not concern business and official correspondence, which must be formatted correctly and competently. Punctuation is a powerful tool that must be used carefully.

Punctuation marks are graphic (written) signs needed to divide text into sentences and convey in writing the structural features of sentences and their intonation.

Russian punctuation marks include: 1) period, question mark, exclamation mark - these are the end of sentence marks; 2) a comma, a dash, a colon, a semicolon - these are signs for separating parts of a sentence; 3) brackets, quotation marks (“double” signs) highlight individual words or parts of a sentence; for this purpose, commas and dashes are used as paired signs; if the construction being highlighted is at the beginning or end of the sentence, one comma or dash is used: I was bored in the village like a locked puppy (T.); In addition to rivers, there are many canals in the Meshchera region (Paust.); - Hey, where are you going, mom? - And there, - home, son (Tv.); 4) a special ellipsis sign, “semantic”; it can be placed at the end of a sentence to indicate the special significance of what was said or in the middle to convey confused, difficult or excited speech: - What is dinner? Prose. Here is the moon, the stars... (Acute); - Father, don't shout. I will also say... well, yes! You're right... But your truth is narrow for us... - Well, yes! You... you! How... you were educated... and I'm a fool! And you... (M.G.).

Combinations of signs convey a special, complex meaning. Thus, the use of question and exclamation marks together forms a rhetorical question (i.e., a strengthened statement or denial) with an emotional connotation: Who among us has not thought about war?! Of course, everyone thought (Sim.); A scoundrel and a thief, in a word. And marry such a person?! Live with him?! I'm surprised! (Ch.). Compound different meanings can be achieved by combining a comma and a dash as a single sign: A black horseman rode by, swinging in the saddle, - the horseshoes struck two blue sparks from the stone (M. G.); The sky cleared above the forest - the pale sun poured onto the gray bell towers of Beloomut (Paust.) - grammatical uniformity, enumeration is conveyed by a comma, and with the help of a dash the meaning of the consequence-result is emphasized. More often they can be placed side by side, each according to its own rule, for example, a dash in a non-union complex sentence after a comma conveying isolation: cf.: You, brother, are a battalion (Tv.) - the dash is used according to the rule “a dash between the subject and the predicate (before the connecting particle this)”, and the address is highlighted with commas.

Options for using punctuation marks are provided for by punctuation rules. If different signs are allowed, then usually one of them is the main one, that is, it is given priority. Thus, inserted structures are usually distinguished by brackets: After a few days, the four of us (not counting the all-seeing and omnipresent boys) became such friends that the four of us went almost everywhere (Paust.). It is allowed to highlight an insert using two dashes: And in the middle of May there was a thunderstorm and such downpour that a whole river of yellow water rolled violently along the street - it was not flat, but sloping - (S.-C.). For brackets this usage is the main one, and for a dash it is one of many and secondary.

Options for the use of signs are provided for by the rules for the design of complex non-union sentences, for example, when explaining or motivating, a dash is used instead of the main colon sign: Separation is illusory - we will be together soon (Ahm.). When isolating definitions and applications, along with commas, dashes can be used: The sea - gray, wintry, inexpressibly gloomy - roared and rushed behind the thin sides, like Niagara (Paust.); Colored autumn - the evening of the year - smiles brightly at me (Marsh.). It is possible to highlight separate definitions and applications with two signs - a comma and a dash - at the same time: A calm, courageous whistle flew in - an oceanic one, in three tones (Paust.). Variations in the placement of signs are also allowed by some other rules (in particular, a comma and a semicolon in a complex non-union sentence, a comma and an exclamation mark when addressing, an exclamation mark and a question mark with an exclamation point when asking a rhetorical question, etc.).

Variation also manifests itself in the possibility of using or not using signs in some other cases, for example, some introductory words are inconsistently highlighted: indeed, in fact, first of all, predominantly; they can be emphasized together with the attached noun.

Modern Russian literary language/ Ed. P. A. Lekanta - M., 2009

Any of us at school had to write dictations on native language. And, probably, the most offensive thing was the reduction in the final grade due to a missing or extra comma. Let's find out why this symbol and others like it are so important in language, and what science specializes in this issue.

What does punctuation study?

At the end of the previous sentence there is a familiar one that signals to every reader that this is a question, not a statement. It is on the study of such signal elements that such a science as punctuation concentrates.

Moreover, she specializes not only in the formation and regulation of norms and rules for setting punctuation marks, but also studies their history.

What is it for?

Having learned what punctuation is studying, it is worth paying attention to its practical value. After all, for example, the practical significance of spelling is clear to most of us - if you do not teach people to write correctly, it will become unclear to others what they want to say: flight or litter, etc. At the same time, many “victims” of school punctuation repressions are still perplexed : what difference does it make where to put a comma, why is it needed at all, and why a whole science was formed to study it.

Let's figure it out. So, punctuation is important to make the text easier to understand. With its help, sentences or their parts are separated from each other. This allows the writer to concentrate on the thought he needs.

To more clearly understand the meaning of punctuation marks, it is worth recalling the “bearded” example from the cartoon “In the Land of Unlearned Lessons” - “Execution cannot be pardoned.”

The life of the main character, Vitya Perestukin, depended on where the comma was placed. If he had put it this way: “Execute, cannot be pardoned,” Vita would have faced death. Fortunately, the boy correctly translated the sign: “You cannot execute, but have mercy,” and thus was saved.

In addition to emphasizing certain parts of a sentence, punctuation often helps to understand its meaning.

For example, if you simply put a period at the end of the sentence “Our mother has come,” this will be a statement of the fact of the mother’s arrival.

If you replace it with a question mark, it will no longer be a statement of a fait accompli, but a question: “Has our mother come?”

Etymology of the term

Having considered what punctuation studies and why it is needed, we can pay attention to the origin of this concept.

The term under study was derived from the Latin word punctum, which translates as a point. Based on this, we can assume that the first punctuation mark in history is precisely the period (at least in Russian punctuation this is so).

It is believed that the ancient Greeks were the first to use it as a mark for the end of a sentence or even an entire paragraph.

Punctuation marks

Knowing what punctuation studies, it is worth going into more detail on this. In other words, let's pay attention to punctuation marks. They are also called punctuation and are elements of writing necessary to achieve such goals.

The main ones are:

Separation/highlighting of words, phrases, semantic segments in a sentence or whole text.
They indicate grammatical and sometimes logical connections between words.
They indicate the emotional coloring of the sentence and its communicative type.
They signal the completion/incompleteness of a statement/thought.

Unlike words, punctuation symbols are not parts of a sentence, although they perform very important functions in it.

The need for such signs is emphasized by the fact that in most text editors, when checking spelling, punctuation errors are highlighted in a separate color - green, while spelling errors are highlighted in red.

Types of punctuation marks that are in the Russian language

To remember exactly which separating characters are used in Russian, it is worth remembering any lesson about punctuation. It necessarily mentioned most of these elements. All of them are divided into two categories: paired and unpaired.

The first is a much smaller number: quotes "", brackets (), 2 commas and 2 dashes.

They serve to highlight a word, phrase or part of a sentence and are always used together, functioning as a single whole.

In this case, quotation marks are also used to highlight names in Cyrillic and as a designation of direct speech.

By the way, the most common mistakes in punctuation of paired characters is forgetting to put the second one.

There are significantly more unpaired punctuation symbols. They are divided into groups according to their direct functions. Moreover, some of them are capable of performing not one, but two roles at once.

Analyzing the above, you will notice that nothing was said about the apostrophe. However this symbol refers to spelling, not punctuation. Therefore, we cannot talk about him in this context.

History of Russian punctuation

IN Russian Empire Punctuation as such did not exist until the second half of the 15th century. It was only in the 80s that the dot began to be used.

About 40 years later, commas began to be used in grammar.

The combination of these characters into one (semicolon) happened later. Moreover, checking the punctuation of ancient texts showed that it initially served as a question mark. So if, when reading a document dating back to earlier than the 18th century, there is a question mark, we can conclude that the paper is probably a fake.

However, since the 18th century. a special symbol began to be used to indicate a question. By the way, during the same period, the exclamation mark began to be used in the empire, which initially signaled surprise, and not an exclamation. That is why it was called "amazing".

The first paired characters in the grammar of the Russian language were parentheses, first noted when checking punctuation in a document of 1619.

Dashes, quotation marks and ellipsis also appeared only in the 18th century. Moreover, one of their first and main popularizers was Nikolai Karamzin.

Unusual punctuation marks that are not used in modern Russian

In addition to the symbols that are well known to us, there are a number of signs that are not recognized by Russian and many other grammars. If you try to put them in a text editor, you will definitely receive a message about the need to correct the punctuation in the sentence.

Interrobang is a hybrid of question and exclamation marks.
A rhetorical question mark that looks like a mirror image of a regular symbol of this kind. It was used in English only for a few decades at the end of the 17th century.
Ironic sign. Externally similar to the above, but slightly smaller and placed at the beginning of the sentence. Originated in France XIX V.
A love symbol that is recommended to be used in greeting cards. It looks like a question mark and its reflection, together forming a heart.
The consonant symbol looks like two exclamation marks written from one point. Symbolizes the expression of goodwill.
A sign of confidence. It looks like an exclamation symbol crossed out in the form of a cross.
Authoritative. Similar to the previous one, but it is crossed out not by the direct line, but by the league. Used in orders or advice.
Asterism. Looks like three stars arranged in an inverted pyramid. Previously, it served to separate semantic chapters, as well as parts of books, or to indicate minor breaks in a long text.
Exclamation and question commas. Designed for intonational highlighting of words or phrases within a sentence.

FUNCTIONS OF PUNCTION MARKS

Punctuation is an important means of formatting writing. Punctuation marks indicate semantic , structural and intonation division of speech. It is known that punctuation marks not only organize written text to facilitate its perception by the reader, but also directly convey part of the information contained in the text. In particular, sometimes punctuation, by eliminating ambiguity, serves as the only available means of choosing the correct interpretation of the text.

According to its functions First of all, the signs are different separating (dividing)(period; question mark, exclamation mark, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, ellipsis) and highlighting (two commas, two dashes, parentheses, quotation marks).

ellipses

An ellipsis can be a "pause" in the unfolding of a sentence and can end a sentence.

The ellipsis, along with the general separating function, has a number of specific, varied meanings, which most often reflect the emotional coloring of speech.

The ellipsis conveys understatement, reticence, interruption of thought, and often its difficulty caused by great emotional stress.

An ellipsis can convey the significance of what was said, indicate subtext, hidden meaning.

With the help of ellipsis, the author, as it were, signals the reader about his feelings, impressions, asks to pay attention to the next word or the previous one, to what is written (to an unexpected or especially important information), conveys the hero’s excitement, etc.

Ellipsis is a punctuation mark in the form of three dots placed next to each other. In most cases it indicates an unfinished thought or pause.

Morphology is a branch of grammar that studies parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.) and their forms. You can’t do without knowing the parts of speech in the Russian language.

Firstly, a person’s written literacy depends on knowledge of the parts of speech, because many spelling rules are based on the ability to determine the part of speech specific word. For example, using soft sign at the end of a word after sibilants depends primarily on what part of speech the word is. If this is a noun of the 3rd declension, then “b” is written at the end (daughter, luxury, etc.), and if it is, say, a short adjective, then “b” is not written (mighty, dense). Or the noun “burn” is written with the vowel “o” after the sibilant at the root, and the verb “burn” is written with the vowel “e”.

Secondly, knowledge of parts of speech forms a person’s punctuation literacy. For example, such a part of speech as an interjection (oh, ah, well, etc.) is always highlighted in writing with commas.

Thus, morphology is a very important section of the science of language.

Punctuation is a branch of the science of language that studies the norms of using punctuation marks. Punctuation marks gradually developed in the history of the Russian language and acquired modern look only to XIX century. Ancient writings also used punctuation marks, but they were very different from modern ones. For example, a period was used in the middle of a line. The period corresponded to the modern comma. The quarter dot, or “imaginary cross,” corresponded to the dot. Moreover, in ancient times texts were written together, letter by letter. Since the 15th century, separate spelling has become increasingly common; a punctuation mark appears that we also use, but for us it is an “empty space,” that is, a space. Ancient scribes characterized it as follows: “Ice is moving apart, or parting, or breaking through. And it is placed in the Divine Scriptures in the lines between the words (words), the hollow space is moved apart, so that the words do not become intertwined.” The punctuation also included a sign of transference, or end-transfer; according to Meletiy Smotritsky - “unit”, which goes “from line to line”, not dividing, but connecting the word. In Church Slavonic, punctuation marks are very similar to modern ones. From modern signs The only difference in punctuation is the question mark. In Church Slavonic graphics it is a punctuational Greekism.

In modern linguistics, punctuation is a science, a linguistic discipline about punctuation marks, their composition, meanings and rules for their use. Punctuation is also understood as a set of punctuation marks. The term punctuation comes from the Latin word “punctum”, which means “point”. Punctuation, therefore, literally means “the science of dots.” The word punctuation as part of the term punctuation marks is of original Russian origin. Outside of this term, it means “obstacle.” Comma and punctuation are words of the same root. The main and most significant difference between punctuation marks and other writing signs is functional: punctuation marks do not indicate speech sounds and are not part of “written” words. In relation to words, writing signs are generally divided into three main groups: 1) intra-word - letters 2) “word” signs - numbers 3) inter-word - these are precisely punctuation marks.

How many punctuation marks are there in Russian? The ten punctuation marks are as follows: periods, commas, colons, ellipses, semicolons, ellipses, dashes, question marks, exclamation marks, parentheses, and quotation marks. The following signs are added to them: a single bracket: for example: 1)... 2)... or a)... b)... etc.) ; a footnote sign, usually in the form of an asterisk (*) (this sign is also called an asterix, from the Greek Aster - “star”). Following the paragraph, other signs of text division are sometimes included in punctuation marks: chapters, various kinds spaces, etc., but this is not yet widely accepted. Separately, it is necessary to say about the hyphen. First of all, it must be strictly distinguished from a dash: they differ in style (the hyphen is 2-3 times shorter: (-), (--) and functionally: the dash is exclusively a punctuation sign, and the hyphen has 2 or 3 different functions. Main the function of the hyphen is orthographic: it forms a semi-continuous spelling of some words: in our opinion, in an adult way, someone, someone, someone, firstly, secondly, etc., within the limits of spelling the hyphen; used as a sign to transfer words from one line to another: se-stra, sister-tra or sister-ra. But a hyphen can also be used. punctuation mark- stand between the defined noun and a single application: Masha the playful, Anika the warrior, the Western cheat, the old fisherman, the old mother, the spring beauty, the Ossetian cab driver, etc.

IN Lately In some scientific texts quite often they began to use a single inclined line - a fractional line in the meaning of the union or, in particular when dividing the unions and, or: and/or, i.e. Next comes the text, which can be either attached to previous text, or be in a divisive relationship with him. The fractional line in this meaning is also a punctuation mark. This function also uses parentheses. Let's give an example of such brackets: Chapters and paragraphs in books have, as a rule, “an independent number and (or) title” (according to the Dictionary of Publishing Terms). Instead of parentheses, you can use a slash here; “independent number and/or title.” The fractional slash is listed in the Morse code symbol system. In general, the following “alphabet” of punctuation marks is obtained (pay attention to the order in which they are listed):