The Rise and Fall of the Semicolon: English Punctuation Theory and English Teaching Practice.

Bruthiaux, Paul

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Peer reviewed

ERIC Number: EJ499455

Record Type: Journal

Publication Date: 1995

Pages: N/A

Abstractor: N/A

ISBN: N/A

ISSN: ISSN-0142-6001

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The Rise and Fall of the Semicolon: English Punctuation Theory and English Teaching Practice.

Bruthiaux, Paul

Applied Linguistics, v16 n1 p1-14 Mar 1995

Reviews the evolution of semicolon use in English, examining the frequency of semicolons, colons, and dashes in grammar, language, and linguistic books from the mid-16th century to the present. Concludes that after flourishing in the 17th and 18th centuries, the semicolon may have become a marginal component of the English punctuation system. (42 references) (MDM)

Descriptors: Books, Contrastive Linguistics, Diachronic Linguistics, English, Grammar, Language Usage, Punctuation, Sentence Structure, Structural Linguistics, Teaching Methods, Written Language

Publication Type: Reports - Research; Journal Articles

Education Level: N/A

Audience: N/A

Language: English

Sponsor: N/A

Authoring Institution: N/A

Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A