Posted by Minnie-Haha on April 23, 2005, at 18:23:27
In reply to Re: I don't see a difference, posted by Dr. Bob on April 23, 2005, at 16:30:39
Well, I think there *is* a fine line here, but one thing that stands out in dancingstar's remark -- "Personally, I do not believe that it is a 'problem,' with 'symptoms' or 'a diagnosis.'" -- are the quotation marks.
Punctuation can affect meaning. So whether or not we use it properly, or whether it's use has more than one meaning, makes a big difference.
In addition to marking a quotation, quotation marks can also denote irony, which is a form of sarcasm. For example (from the Associated Press Stylebook), "The 'debate' turned into a free-for-all." They can be used to introduce an unfamiliar term too. (Again from the AP guide) "Broadcast frequencies are measured in 'kilohertz.'"
However, I think an informal use (especially in email and on message boards) is to use quotation marks to emphasize a word, but that's pretty close to using them for irony. Generally, I think people (myself included, especially if I'm in a hurry) just aren't as careful with composition in electronic messages, so you have to keep that in mind. I guess you have to look at the context. Myself, if I don't understand, I might ask the author, or if it doesn't involve me personally, defer to Dr. Bob's judgment.
poster:Minnie-Haha
thread:486296
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050417/msgs/488462.html