View source for Irony punctuation

{{Short description|Proposed form of notation used to denote irony or sarcasm in text}}
{{About|punctuation marks used to indicate irony or sarcasm|the mirrored question mark used in Arabic and other languages that use Arabic script|Mirrored question mark}}

{{Special characters}}
{{Infobox punctuation mark|mark=⸮}}

'''Irony punctuation''' is any form of notation proposed or used to denote [[irony]] or [[sarcasm]] in written text. Written text, in [[English language|English]] and other languages, lacks a standard way to mark irony, and several forms of [[punctuation]] have been proposed to fill the gap. The oldest is the '''percontation point''' in the form of a reversed [[question mark]] ('''{{serif|⸮}}'''), proposed by English printer [[Henry Denham]] in the 1580s for marking [[rhetorical question]]s, which can be a form of irony. Specific '''irony marks''' have also been proposed,  such as in the form of an open upward arrow (<span style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:-0.3em;vertical-align:-0.4em;line-height:0.85em;font-size:70%;text-align:center"><sup style="font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">△</sup><br /><sub style="font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">|</sub></span>), used by [[Marcellin Jobard]] in the 19th century, and in a form resembling a reversed question mark ([[File:Point d'ironie de Alcanter de Brahm.svg|6px|class=skin-invert]]), proposed by French poet [[Alcanter de Brahm]] during the 19th century.

Irony punctuation is primarily used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level. A bracketed [[Exclamation point#English|exclamation point]] or question mark as well as [[scare quotes]] are also occasionally used to express irony or sarcasm.

==Percontation point==
The percontation point
{{nowrap|([[File: Irony mark full.svg|8px|class=skin-invert]])}}
, a reversed question mark later referred to as a rhetorical question mark, was proposed by [[Henry Denham]] in the 1580s and was used at the end of a question that does not require an answer—a [[rhetorical question]]. Its use died out in the 17th century.<ref name="T9FD8">{{harvnb|Truss|2003|page=142}}</ref> This character can be represented using the reversed question mark (⸮) found in Unicode as U+2E2E; another character approximating it is [[Question mark#Mirrored question mark in right-to-left scripts|the Arabic question mark (؟)]], U+061F.

The modern question mark (? U+003F) is descended from the "punctus interrogativus" (described as "a lightning flash, striking from right to left"),<ref name="LNOef">{{Cite web |url=http://www.typografie.info/typowiki/index.php?title=Bild%3AInterrogativus.png |title=Interrogativus.png |website=TypoWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012061519/http://www.typografie.info/typowiki/index.php?title=Bild%3AInterrogativus.png |archive-date=2007-10-12}}</ref> but unlike the modern question mark, the punctus interrogativus may be contrasted with the punctus percontativus—the former marking questions that require an answer while the latter marks rhetorical questions.<ref name="percontation">{{Cite web |last1=Everson |first1=Michael |last2=Baker |first2=Peter |last3=Dohnicht |first3=Marcus |last4=Emiliano |first4=António |last5=Haugen |first5=Odd Einar |last6=Pedro |first6=Susana |last7=Perry |first7=David J. |last8=Pournader |first8=Roozbeh |date=April 10, 2016 |title=Proposal to add Medievalist and Iranianist punctuation characters to the UCS |url=http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3193.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410171950/http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3193.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-10 |author-link1=Michael Everson}}</ref>

==Irony mark==
In 1668, [[John Wilkins]], in ''[[An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language|An Essay Towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language]]'', proposed using an [[Inverted question and exclamation marks|inverted exclamation mark]] to punctuate rhetorical questions.<ref name="4qYun">{{harvnb|Houston|2013|pages=212–214}}</ref>

In an article dated 11 October 1841, [[Marcellin Jobard]], a Belgian newspaper publisher, introduced an "irony mark"  ({{langx|fr|point d'ironie}}) in the shape of an oversized arrow head with small stem (rather like an [[ideogram]] of a [[Christmas tree]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Jobard invente le précurseur du smiley en 1841 |trans-title=Jobard invents the precursor of the smiley in 1841 |author=Marie-Christine Claes |url=http://www.jobard.eu/spip.php?article34 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927022923/http://www.jobard.eu/spip.php?article34 |date=June 23, 2012 |archive-date=2013-09-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=How Words Get Good: The Story of Making a Book |author=Rebecca Lee |publisher=Profile Books |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-78283-759-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=38MxEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Marcellin+Jobard%22+%22ironie+mark%22&pg=PT124}}</ref> The next year he expanded his idea, suggesting the symbol could be used in various orientations (on its side, upside down, etc.) to mark "a point of irritation, an indignation point, a point of hesitation".<ref>{{cite book |title=Rapport sur l'exposition de 1839 |author=J. B. A. M. Jobard |page=350 |publisher=chez l'Auteur |year=1842 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0WKDeCyGpXoC&dq=%22point+d'ironie%22&pg=PA350}}</ref><ref name="7OMC0">{{harvnb|Houston|2013|pages=215–217}}</ref>

[[File:Ironie-Larousse-1897-p329.png|thumb|left|Irony mark as designed by [[Alcanter de Brahm]] in a French encyclopedia from 1905<ref name="rxllQ">{{Cite book|editor=Claude Augé|editor-link=Claude Augé|title=Nouveau Larousse illustré|place=Paris|date=1897–1905|volume=5|page=329|chapter=Ironie ''(irony)''}}</ref>]]
Another irony point ({{langx|fr|point d'ironie}}) was proposed by the French poet [[Alcanter de Brahm]] (alias, Marcel Bernhardt) in his 1899 book {{lang|fr|L'ostensoir des ironies}} to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level (irony, sarcasm, etc.). It is illustrated by a glyph resembling, but not identical to, a small, elevated, backward-facing question mark.<ref name="percontation" /> 

[[Hervé Bazin]], in his essay "{{lang|fr|Plumons l'Oiseau}}" ("Let's pluck the bird", 1966), used the Greek letter [[Psi (letter)|ψ]] with a dot below for the same purpose {{nowrap|([[File:Point d'ironie (Hervé Bazin).svg|10px|class=skin-invert]])}}.<ref name="LOM8P">{{Cite journal|last=Bazin|first=Hervé|title=Plumons l'oiseau|publisher=Éditions Bernard Grasset|location=Paris (France)|year=1966|page=142}}</ref> In the same work, the author proposed five other innovative punctuation marks: the "doubt point" {{nowrap|([[File:point de doute (Hervé Bazin).svg|7px|class=skin-invert]])}}, "conviction point" {{nowrap|([[File:Point de conviction (Hervé Bazin).svg|8px|class=skin-invert]])}}, "acclamation point" {{nowrap|([[File:point d'acclamation (Hervé Bazin).svg|11px|class=skin-invert]])}}, "authority point" {{nowrap|([[File:point d'autorité (Hervé Bazin).svg|8px|class=skin-invert]])}}, and "love point" {{nowrap|([[File:Point d'amour (Hervé Bazin).svg|12px|class=skin-invert]])}}.<ref name="pg1r6">{{Cite web |last1=Yevstifeyev |first1=Mykyta |last2=Pentzlin |first2=Karl |date=Feb 28, 2012 |title=Revised preliminary proposal to encode six punctuation characters introduced by Hervé Bazin in the UCS |url=http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n4256.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507104626/http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n4256.pdf |archive-date=2016-05-07}}</ref>

In March 2007, the Dutch foundation CPNB ({{lang|nl|[[Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek]]}}) presented another design of an irony mark, the {{lang|nl|ironieteken}}: ([[File:Ironieteken.svg|16px|class=skin-invert]]).<ref name="gLSzU">{{cite web |publisher=Stichting Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek (CPNB) |title=Nieuw: een leesteken voor ironie |url = http://www.cpnb.nl/dotnet/pb/PB_Detail.aspx?Persbericht_ID=132 |date=2007-03-13 |access-date=2012-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003191025/http://www.cpnb.nl/dotnet/pb/PB_Detail.aspx?Persbericht_ID=132 |archive-date=2008-10-03 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="JS0AB">{{cite web |publisher=Nieuwsblad.be |title=Leesteken moet ironie verduidelijken |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF15032007_131 |date=2007-03-15 |access-date=2012-09-15 |language=nl |archive-date=2013-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622125003/http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF15032007_131 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery class="center skin-invert-image">
Point d'ironie de Alcanter de Brahm.svg|Alcanter de Brahm 1899
Irony mark full.svg|Percontation point in Unicode
Point d'ironie (Hervé Bazin).svg|Hervé Bazin 1966
Ironiezeichen CPNB.svg|CPNB proposal 2007
</gallery>

==Reverse italics (Sartalics)==
[[Tom Driberg]] recommended that ironic statements be printed in [[Italic_type#Left-leaning_italics|leftward-slanting italics]], which he also called sartalics, to distinguish irony from the emphasis indicated by conventional rightward-slanting italics.<ref name="bAsl8">{{harvnb|Houston|2013|page=227}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-08-05|title=WATCH: A Sarcasm Font At Last?!|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarcasm-font-_n_919845|access-date=2021-11-30|website=HuffPost|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130134148/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarcasm-font-_n_919845|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Scare quotes==
{{Main|Scare quotes}}
[[Scare quotes]] are a particular use of [[quotation mark]]s. They are placed around a word or phrase to indicate that it is not used in the fashion that the writer would personally use it. In contrast to the nominal typographic purpose of quotation marks, the enclosed words are not necessarily quoted from another source. When read aloud, various techniques are used to convey the sense, such as prepending the addition of "so-called" or a similar word or phrase of disdain, using a sarcastic or mocking tone, or using [[air quotes]], or any combination of the above.

==Temherte slaq==
In certain [[Ethiopic languages]], sarcasm and unreal phrases are indicated at the end of a sentence with a sarcasm mark called ''temherte slaq''<ref name="dCOO8" /><ref>The erroneous form ''temherte slaqî'' appeared previously in this article and has propagated on the internet (see e.g. [https://www.quora.com/Are-all-punctuation-marks-universal-Are-there-languages-that-dont-use-all-the-marks-English-does-or-perhaps-use-entirely-different-ones this Quora post]). The error is due to an encoding issue in the online PDF of Tsigie, ''et al.'' (1999) "A Roadmap," p. 6, that renders some characters incorrectly when copy-pasted. Under certain circumstances copy-pasting the phrase ''“Temherte Slaq”'' (with quotation marks) from the PDF yields ''ìTemherte Slaqî''. That terminal ''î'' has no business there, or in any Romanization from the [[Geʽez script]].</ref> or ''timirte slaq''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-05-26 |editor-last=Yacob |editor-first=Daniel |editor2-last=Ishida |editor2-first=Richard |title=Ethiopic Layout Requirements |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/elreq/#ethiopic_punctuation |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=W3C}}</ref> ([[Amharic language|Amharic]]: ትእምርተ፡ሥላቅ),<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kane |first=Thomas Leiper |title=Amharic-English Dictionary |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz |year=1990 |isbn=978-3-447-02871-4 |volume=1 |location=Wiesbaden |pages=986 |lccn=91166276 |oclc=24468448}}</ref> a character that looks like the [[inverted exclamation point]] (U+00A1) (&nbsp;'''¡'''&nbsp;).<ref name="dCOO8">{{cite web|url=http://yacob.org/papers/DanielYacob-IUC15.pdf|title=A Roadmap to the Extension of the Ethiopic Writing System Standard Under Unicode and ISO-10646|author1=Asteraye Tsigie|author2=Berhanu Beyene|author3=Daniel Aberra|author4=Daniel Yacob|work=15th International Unicode Conference|year=1999|page=6|access-date=2010-04-16|archive-date=2009-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123052118/http://yacob.org/papers/DanielYacob-IUC15.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Other typography==
{{redirect|/s|further information|tone indicator}}

===Pseudo-HTML tags===
It is common in online conversation among some Internet users to use a fictitious closing tag patterned after [[HTML]]: <code><nowiki></sarcasm></nowiki></code>. Over time, it has evolved to lose the angle brackets (<code>/sarcasm</code>) and has subsequently been shortened to <code>/sarc</code> or <code>/s</code> (not to be confused with the valid HTML end tag <code><nowiki>&lt;/s&gt;</nowiki></code> used to end a [[strikethrough|struck-through]] passage).<ref name="4fQFb">{{cite journal |last1=Khodak |first1=Mikhail |last2=Saunshi |first2=Nikunj |last3=Vodrahalli |first3=Kiran |title=A Large Self-Annotated Corpus for Sarcasm |journal=Proceedings of the Language Resources and Evaluation Conference |date=7–12 May 2018 |page=1 |url=http://www.lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2018/pdf/160.pdf |access-date=8 February 2019 |bibcode=2017arXiv170405579K |arxiv=1704.05579 |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124222/http://www.lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2018/pdf/160.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Users of the website [[Reddit]] frequently denote sarcasm through the use of <code>/s</code>, as shorthand.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Positive Feedback Loops: Sarcasm and the Pseudo-Argument in Reddit Communities |url=https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8SX7R41 |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Academic Commons - Columbia University Libraries |language=en |doi=10.7916/D8KD34QN |first1=Christopher |last1=Mueller |date=2016 }}</ref> This usage later evolved into [[tone indicator]]s.

=== Paired punctuation ===
==== Brackets ====
Rhetorical questions in some informal situations can use a bracketed question mark, e.g., "<code>Oh, really[?]</code>". The equivalent for an ironic or sarcastic statement would be a bracketed exclamation mark, e.g., "<code>Oh, really[!]</code>". Subtitles, such as in [[Teletext]], sometimes use an exclamation mark within brackets or parentheses to mark sarcasm.<ref name="VuBJ2">{{Cite web|url=https://bbc.github.io/subtitle-guidelines/|title=BBC Subtitle Guidelines|website=bbc.github.io|access-date=2019-10-26|archive-date=2019-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020222240/http://bbc.github.io/subtitle-guidelines/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Tildes ====
Another method of expressing sarcasm is by placing a [[tilde]] (<code>~</code>) adjacent to the punctuation. This allows for easy use with any keyboard, as well as variation. Variations include dry sarcasm (<code>~.</code>), enthusiastic sarcasm (<code>~!</code>), and sarcastic questions (<code>~?</code>). The sports blog ''Card Chronicle'' has adopted this methodology by inserting (<code>~</code>) after the period at the end of the sentence.<ref name="pfO0M">{{cite web |url=http://www.cardchronicle.com/2014/8/5/5970751/the-guide-to-card-chronicles-memes-inside-jokes-quirks |title=The Guide to Card Chronicle's memes / inside jokes / quirks |author=Mr_Hobbes |website=Card Chronicle |date=5 August 2014 |access-date=9 January 2015 |archive-date=9 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109234138/http://www.cardchronicle.com/2014/8/5/5970751/the-guide-to-card-chronicles-memes-inside-jokes-quirks |url-status=live }}</ref> It has also been adopted by the [[Udacity]] Machine Learning Nanodegree community.<ref name="19UzI">{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/machinelearningnanodegree/MLND/wiki/Community-Guidelines#a-few-things-to-consider |title=Community Guidelines§A few things to consider |date=2017-08-14 |df=dmy-all |website=MLND Wiki |access-date=2017-08-14 |via=[[GitHub]] |archive-date=2021-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120040857/https://github.com/machinelearningnanodegree/MLND/wiki/Community-Guidelines#a-few-things-to-consider |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Capitalization patterns ===
On the Internet, it is common to see [[Alternating caps|alternating uppercase and lowercase]] lettering to convey a mocking or sarcastic tone, often in the form of [[Internet meme|memes]]. One example is the "Mocking SpongeBob" meme, which consists of a caption paired with a still taken from the ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' episode ''"[[SpongeBob SquarePants season 9|Little Yellow Book]]"'' of the character [[SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|SpongeBob SquarePants]] acting like a chicken.<ref name="8nJKp">{{Cite web|url=https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob|title=Mocking SpongeBob|website=Know Your Meme|access-date=2019-10-27|archive-date=2019-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105023259/https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=October 2019}}

=== Emoji and emoticons ===
Typing in all-capital letters, using a [[Twitter]]-style [[hashtag]], <code>#sarcasm</code>, or [[emoticon]]s like "Rolling eyes" ({{emoji|name=rolling_eyes}}), "<code>:></code>", and "<code>:P</code> / {{emoji|name=stuck_out_tongue}}, are used by some in instant messaging. Some might use the "victory hand" [[dingbat]] / [[emoji]] ({{emoji|270C}}) character to simulate "[[scare quotes]]".<ref name="qgPfM">{{cite journal |last1=Kunneman |first1=Florian |last2=Liebrecht |first2=Christine |last3=van Mulken |first3=Margot |last4=van den Bosch|first4=Antal |title=Signaling sarcasm: From hyperbole to hashtag |journal=Information Processing & Management |date=July 2015 |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=500–509 |doi=10.1016/j.ipm.2014.07.006|hdl=2066/148844 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

The upside-down face emoji ({{emoji|name=upside_down}}) is often used to convey sarcasm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=🙃 Upside-Down Face Emoji |url=https://emojipedia.org/upside-down-face/ |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=Emojipedia |language=en}}</ref> However, it can also be understood to indicate a variety of subtle or concealed emotions. These can include annoyance, indignation, panic, mockery, and other more ambiguous feelings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Elise |date=2017-02-05 |title=The semiotics of the upside-down smiley 🙃 |url=https://elisekramer.com/2017/02/05/the-semiotics-of-the-upside-down-smiley-%f0%9f%99%83/ |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=Ruthless Benedict |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 🙃 Upside Down Emoji And Other Emojis To Get You Through The Day {{!}} 🏆 Emojiguide |url=https://emojiguide.com/blog/upside-down-emoji/ |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=Emojiguide |language=en-US}}</ref>

In many gaming communities, the word "Kappa" is frequently used to display sarcasm as well as joking intent. This is due to the word acting as an emoticon on [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]], a livestreaming site, where it has gained popularity for such purpose.<ref name="0qcyu">{{cite web |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-a-former-twitch-employee-has-one-of-the-most-reproduced-faces-ever/ |title=How Kappa Became The Face Of Twitch |date=2015-10-21 |access-date=2018-02-05 |website=FiveThirtyEight |author=David Goldenberg |df=dmy-all |archive-date=2017-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026001422/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-a-former-twitch-employee-has-one-of-the-most-reproduced-faces-ever/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Custom indicators ===
{{multiple images
 | align             = right
 | direction         = horizontal
 | total_width       = 300px
 | caption_align     = center

 | image1            = Pair of Sarcastisies.svg
 | class1            = skin-invert-image
 | caption1          = Pair of sarcastises by [[CollegeHumor]]

 | image2            = Sarcasm mark.svg
 | class2            = skin-invert-image
 | caption2          = A "SarcMark"
}}
[[CollegeHumor]] jokingly proposed new marks called "sarcastises" which resemble ragged, or zig-zagged parentheses, used to enclose sarcastic remarks.<ref name="HQLvy">{{cite web |url=http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6872071/8-new-and-necessary-punctuation-marks |title=8 new and necessary punctuation marks |website=College Humor |date=February 20, 2013 |first1=Mike |last1=Trapp |access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108211202/http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6872071/8-new-and-necessary-punctuation-marks|archive-date=8 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

A "SarcMark" symbol, which resembled an @, but with the spiral reversed and a period at its center instead of an 'a', requiring custom computer font software was proposed in 2010.<ref name="rl03z">{{cite web |website=[[HLN.be]] |title=Nieuw leesteken waarschuwt voor sarcasme en ironie |trans-title=New punctuation mark warns of sarcasm and irony |url=http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/4125/Internet/article/detail/1055695/2010/01/18/Nieuw-leesteken-waarschuwt-voor-sarcasme-en-ironie.dhtml |date=2010-10-18 |access-date=2012-09-15 |language=nl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512231117/http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/4125/Internet/article/detail/1055695/2010/01/18/Nieuw-leesteken-waarschuwt-voor-sarcasme-en-ironie.dhtml |archive-date=2013-05-12 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Irony marks}}
* [[Emoticon]]
* [[Fnord]]
* [[Internet slang]]
* [[Interrobang]]
* [[Inverted question and exclamation marks]] (¿¡)
* [[Poe's law]]

==References==
{{reflist|1=30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=Houston|first=Keith|title=Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks|year=2013|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.|location=New York & London|isbn=978-0-393-06442-1}}
* {{Cite book |title=Eats, Shoots & Leaves |last=Truss |first=Lynne |date=2003 |isbn=1-59240-087-6 }}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150503024945/http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/09/27/shady-characters-irony/ Ironic Serif: A Brief History of Typographic Snark and the Failed Crusade for an Irony Mark]
* [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/how-to-tell-a-joke-on-the-internet/309293 How to Tell a Joke on the Internet; The new typography of irony]

{{navbox punctuation}}

[[Category:Irony]]
[[Category:Punctuation]]