Podcast

358. Ian Randal Strock Talks the Amazing History of Punctuation

In the beginning, there was no punctuation.

Texts were written so that their letters ran together withnospacesorpunctuation and without any distinction between lowercase and capitals. It was up to the reader to discover where each word or sentence ended and the next began. Then, through orators and actors, marks were made to show pauses and stops and emphasis, and thus punctuation was born.

Ian Randal Strock is the perfect guest for this topic. As a successful editor, author, and publisher, he has taken it upon himself to thoroughly research the history of punctuation and why it is so important to literature. In this interview, Ian discusses his book Punctilious Punctuation, and how bad punctuation is an immediate turn-off for an editor or reader. This leads to the importance of knowing the rules before breaking them.

What is the solution for the current wave of language devaluing … especially as we witness on social media texting?

The back cover copy says you will laugh and you will cringe, and this is certainly true. So, enjoy this very fun episode.

BTW, ever wonder why commas and periods always must be inside quotation marks?

Learn more at ianrandalstrock.com.