So there's this new trend that's rapidly growing. It seems to be pretty popular on social media. I don't know where this began or how it's getting so popular.
People aren't using periods.
The omnipresent punctuation mark has almost joined the ranks of its brethren, the comma, the semi-colon, the colon, etc. Run-on sentences are stampeding through Twitter, Facebook, and other websites. Rumor is that some people are using them for emphasis, like italics. For example:
Friend 1: How did the tournament go?
Friend 2: I don't wanna talk about it
Friend 2 (with period): I don't wanna talk about it.
The sub-text from the second response might be, and if you ask me again I will un-friend you. However, the first response is more relaxed, open-ended. I've even heard some people think that it'll fall out of the language entirely, which if you ask me is ridiculous. The following is a conversation I had with a friend of mine on the subject.
Him: I read an interesting article, it states that periods are unnecessary
Me: I've heard that's becoming a trend. It will never catch on though. Informally, run-on sentences and periods don't matter much because the audience will understand what're you trying to communicate. Formally, it will never catch on. There has to be a definite end to a though and transition into a new one. I think the period might get replaced by something else but the end-of-sentence punctuation will never go away completely.
Him: Just replace it with an "..." because it symbolizes that the thought continues and all thoughts are capable of continuing if given the proper amount and depth of thought
Me: So you're saying that the English language needs to use more periods?
Him: Isn't it technically called an ellipsis at this point
Me: Yes, however ellipsis are composed of periods and in order for them to take the place of a singular period more work is required.
Next to the question and the exclamation mark, the period is the most basic punctuation. Notice how my friend forgot the question in his last response. Even though it is annoying to see people misuse commas and semi-colons for a grammar geek like myself, it's somewhat understandable. The period deserves attention and use, and it's not even that hard to use.
