For anyone who uses social media, or communicates with anyone under the age of 30, this article is gold dust.
It's not so much that the rules of grammar and spelling are being re-invented, it's more that a younger demographic, using more ephemeral forms of communication are shaping language to their needs.
I especially like the important distinction between "yes" and "yes." I was bemused at first, but he explanation made perfect sense. Of course using a full stop is more assertive, impatient even.
So if your business is marketing to teens and twenty-somethings, I suggest you read this straight away... or should that be: straight away..
According to Fonteyn, the absence of a full stop at the end of a sentence is "neutral," but the addition of one adds the "sense of being pissed off," or that you're "done talking." A two-dot ellipsis (..), in millennial English means "continue," or "please elaborate." And, a three-dot ellipsis denotes an "awkward or annoyed silence," or "are you serious?" An utter absence of punctuation is most often used as a way of expressing sheer unadulterated excitement. "A complete lack of punctuation iconically mimics the way someone speaks when they are crazy excited about something," says Fonteyn. "In that case, you are adding excitement by taking away commas and full stops, which indicate pauses."
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