Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Quote, unquote

Sven does this often. May asks why.

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Sven: I do it when I am using someone else’s words. It means “quote, unquote.”

May: Don’t you say who said it?

Sven: I usually don’t know who said it. I go quote unquote when I think it’s a common expression.

May: Shouldn’t you use your left hand for “quote” and right hand for “unquote”?We write left to right.

Sven: I’m left-handed.

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Voiceover

Body language extended to punctuation? Does anyone know of any other examples? Do we use body language for a full stop (period)? For a comma? For a capital letter? No wonder academics get a bad name for paper titles like “Punctuation as a Reflection of Late-Period Existential Angst.”

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