How Ancient Punctuation Evolved to Become a Standard Fixture of Modern Grammar

Dr. Erica Brozovsky of thePBSseriesOtherwords explained how ancient punctuation evolved to become the standard fixture of modern grammar.

Around 200 BC, the head librarian of the Great Library of Alexandria, Aristophanes of Byzantium, tried to come up with standardized markings for denoting when a speaker should pause while reading a text, known as distinctiones. ...These were eventually called the komma, kolon, and periodos. Sound familiar?

Brozovsky also looked at the origins of symbols such as the ampersand, the pilcrow, the number sign, and the at sign. She also discussed how certain abbreviations originated and how the digital age has influenced the use of punctuation.

The age of computers has dramatically widened the scope of available punctuation and other typographical symbols. Most digital fonts contain more punctuation than you probably recognize, like the interrobang, a combination of the exclamation point and question mark that was invented by an ad executive in the 1960s. ...Ironically, while we have more punctuation at our fingertips than ever before, many people, especially younger people, are using it less than ever.

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