According to a survey by language learning platform Babbel, 67% of British schoolchildren and students admitted that they rarely or never use semicolons. Meanwhile, only 11% said they use them regularly. Of those surveyed, more than half of the students did not know or did not understand exactly how to use semicolons.
In the 19th century, semicolons were very common in English literature, with authors using them once every 205 words. Today, however, the frequency has dropped, with authors using them once every 390 words.
The gradual disappearance of the semicolon says a lot about the preferred style of expression today (Illustration: DM).
Language experts say that semicolons are used to connect two main clauses that have similar or opposite content, especially when the writer does not want to use conjunctions to connect the two clauses and also does not want to use punctuation to separate them into two separate sentences.
The use of semicolons is considered sophisticated, with the purpose of breaking up ideas to create clarity and coherence, but also a bit complicated in terms of content, making many current users feel "hesitant". Semicolons are often used in sentences with complex content, in which case, semicolons help separate the content clearly, ensuring coherence.
Author Lisa McLendon - author of the book on English grammar The Perfect English Grammar Workbook - also noticed that the understanding of contemporary users about the semicolon is increasingly fading, even though it was once an essential punctuation mark in academic writing.
History of the semicolon
The semicolon has a history of over 500 years. It first appeared in 1494 in Venice, Italy. At that time, printers and publishers of the publisher Aldus Manutius created a new punctuation mark. The goal was to create a punctuation mark that was a middle ground between a comma and a period, to indicate a break in thought that was stronger than a comma, but softer than a period.
In the 20th century, British writer Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) opened her work Mrs Dalloway with a series of semicolons, creating her characteristic literary style, partly expressing the author's inner rhythm in her writing.
American historian and philosopher of science - Cecelia Watson - even wrote a book about semicolons (Photo: W).
On the contrary, American writer Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) strongly opposed the semicolon. He once had a humorous way of saying about his own career: “If you really want to hurt your parents, pursue art, but never use a semicolon.”
He called the semicolon a “hermaphrodite, artificial, meaningless punctuation mark, used only to show that the writer had attended university.”
In 2019, American historian and philosopher of science Cecelia Watson even wrote a book about semicolons.
The book is called Semicolon: How a Misunderstood Punctuation Mark Can Improve Your Writing, Enrich Your Reading and Even Change Your Life.
Researcher Cecelia Watson commented: “The semicolon condenses human feelings and aspirations in the field of language, reflecting the story of class and education level. This small punctuation mark is the distillation of great ideas.”
It can be said that the gradual disappearance of semicolons is not simply a change in writing style, but also a manifestation of a society that increasingly simplifies the way of expression, favoring concise, easy-to-understand and less elaborate writing styles.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/500-nam-sau-khi-ra-doi-dau-cham-phay-sap-bi-tuyet-chung-20250613154550633.htm
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