09 Feb 09: Emoticons and parentheses
XCKD addresses an important punctuation question that I've wrestled with in e-mails and other online writing:
I usually use the first option, despite the imbalance:
... linux (or bsd :-) ...
However, this looks especially imbalanced when the renderer (e.g., e-mail program) displays well-known smileys as little icons:
... linux (or bsd
...
The second option solves the latter problem, but in plain text it looks too much like a double chin to me:
... linux (or bsd :-)) ...
A solution to the balance issue would be to use a reverse smiley to introduce the parenthetic content:
... linux (-: or bsd :-) ...
However, this solution fails in the case of smiley-rendering, because such programs usually don't recognize reverse smileys. It also implicitly requires that the entire parenthetical content be humorous, whereas in some cases only the last little bit is actually humorous.
Another option is to insert a space to create visual distance between the smiley and the closing parenthesis, so that the smiley is now more clearly just part of the parenthetical content:
... linux (or bsd :-) ) ...
This preserves balance while surviving rendering. Multiple spaces may be necessary to create adequate separation.
What other solutions have I missed?
Update: I forgot about Japanese-style emoticons, which don't require turning your head, and which usually involve balanced sets of parentheses:
... linux (or bsd (^-^) ) ...
In this case, the right-paren of the emoticon really can't do double duty as the closing paren of the phrase, and a space really does seem necessary. This becomes even more apparent in versions that include forward- and back-slashes:
...linux (or bsd \(^-^)/ ) ...
See
Hiroette.com for a menagerie of Japanese smileys.
Category: Writing | Posted by: jmswisher
Comments
09 Feb 09, 17:46:53 David wrote:
I've never used it, but this comes to mind:
...linux (or bsd (:-) )...
Still not perfect, but it shows you're trying :-)
09 Feb 09, 20:11:47 Janet Swisher wrote:
I like that! It solves the balance problem, keeping your text editor satisfied if it matches parentheses. The left parenthesis looks like raised eyebrows, which adds a certain earnestness to the expression.
11 Feb 09, 13:43:57 Sarah Maddox wrote:
LOL, only a technical writer would worry so conscientiously about this :) (Oh help, now where do I put the full stop after the previous sentence?)
BTW, I'm a tech writer too, and I've *often* agonised over exactly the same point.
My preferred solution is to leave out the parentheses altogether. Sometimes that's painful, but it works. In extremis, I've been known to resort to an em dash. Some language geek (Oscar Wilde or someone (oops (a bracket crept in))) said that parentheses are almost always unnecessary. But I guess e.e. cummings would disagree ;)
Great post!
11 Feb 09, 13:55:11 Charles Miller wrote:
I disagree with Sarah. I'm not a tech writer, but I've been wrestling with this problem for almost fifteen years.
I agree that the best solution is to refactor the sentence to remove the parentheses, but in some cases that's not possible. For the most part, putting a space between the smiley and closing paren is sufficient.
A related problem is the placing of URLs in parentheses. With a trailing space, the parenthetical link looks unbalanced. Without the trailing space, too many applications try to incorporate the closing paren into the URL itself.
07 May 09, 06:03:37 peterfm wrote:
I’m running Hardy using latest kernel 2.6.24 - and using Vmware Workstation 6.0.4. ( http://file.sh/Vmware+Works... ) I have downloaded the vmware-any-any…update, and followed the installation description above - but with NO success. Any idea to get wireless bridge work in 6.0.4?
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