The only way to know for sure is to talk about it directly, so dont be afraid to ask about whatevers on your mind. An exclamation point denotes something called a factorial. Some messages contained more than one exclamation; each exclamation was treated as a separate unit of analysis. And when in doubt, get rid of the exclamation point. When she's flirting with you, she'll use exclamation points sparingly. Thanks expressed by sender in the body of the message. Meaning: You're approaching this too logically. Either way, texting isnt everything, and if your chemistry IRL is still as strong as ever, your relationship might be better off than you think. Id like to do reference at home in my robe! It seems like shes interested in you when shes receptive to your text. Share your thoughts on this pesky punctuation in the comments section. At the beginning of a relationship, when you are just getting used to each others communication styles, each text can feel loaded with meaning. Not sure if we're going but I might see you at the party! Each exclamation and the entire message in which it appeared was stored in a database record that also included the first name and gender of the poster and a means of identifying and retrieving the message (e.g., a message number or a posting date) should that be required. Using the ellipsis may mean that the girl wants the receiver to read between the lines because she is saying something that she cant say directly yet. Only 9.5% of the exclamations fell into the three emotional (excitable) categories, i.e., Flame 2, Sarcasm, and Thanks 3, effusive thanks. Your email has been confirmed. Overall, 32% of the exclamations fell into the four friendly categories, i.e., Thanks1, Thanks2, Friendly1, and Friendly2. Explanation of difference: Multi-sentence messages dont typically cause miscommunication, but the real culprits" are short sentences or single-word replies,McCulloch says. The semicolon is usually used by writers in composing literary pieces and not in day to day text messages. Exclamation points in trade names such as Yahoo! Content codes such as QUESTION and STATUS (titles and words that identify the personal status of the message poster) were not relevant for this study and were not included. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Compare: Sounds good. Buzz60s Sean Dowling has more. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Full disclosure: I already looked at the menu and know what I want to order., Can I get back to you? (This text is rather lame because it doesnt even indicate if theyll be getting back to you in a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days, says Spira. Gets the point across, elicits a response, but also drives toward a solution. When Rebecca Blaine Carton worked in an all-women office, she came to realize how necessary emojis and friendly punctuation have become for basic communication. A breakdown of the results by gender indicates that 73% of all exclamations were made by females, and 27% by males. If a girl is indifferent to a man, she will not keep the conversation. It can either mean excitement and eagerness, but sometimes it can also mean desperation and anger, depending on how it is used and the circumstances. The name explanation point is often used to convey a sense of excitement on the part of the text receiver upon receiving a text from the texter. While females posted 73% of the exclamations and males posted only 27%, participation rates in the two electronic discussion groups must also be factored into the analysis. This is especially true when you're trying to impress someone or win them over. In general, we dont advise you to delay real meetings and correspond too long. Use them a lot, and people think you're girlish and cute, unprofessional and too friendly. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. Save the asterisks for funny usage, something like this: "I bet you $65,000* that I am a better bowler than you. Join us for must-read career inspiration and insights into the future of work, every day. And yet, if you were to read my email correspondence, Im a bright ray of fking sunshine. Theres a similar dynamic at play in text communication, writesJenny Davis,a social psychologist, professor at The Australian National University, and editor of Cyborgology. Girlboss is a community of ambitious women who are finding success on their terms. The present studys finding of mostly cooperative, polite exchanges and lack of heated debate, as well as the lack of extensive flaming and other abusive behavior, also suggests the presence of LIS-oriented (feminized) values. Yes, I use them frequently and with all sorts of people. I just scored two tickets to the football game on Saturday. Thanks for the information! I wouldn't mind getting to know you more." You could make it slightly more specific to that person, but keep it simple, considerate, and sincere. Unfortunately, not everyone feels comfortable taking that approach and might resort to ghosting or disinterest in texts instead. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. If the text of most of her messages is very common, for example, a question like Do you know someone who can fix my laptop?, then probably she is not interested in you. Are you free to go to a movie on Friday night? is a clear indicator they not only want to get together, but they have a plan in mind, says Spira. "Hello!" gives more hope than a simple "Hello", right? Do not use semicolons with coordinating conjunctions, such as and, or, and but. The text that grossly overuses exclamation points. In reality, it only proves that you dont bore her as a person. If you add an exclamation point, you might worry about sounding too intense.. Noting that questions posted to JESSE were not of a type that usually lead to heated debate, Sierpe wondered whether this absence of passionate debate was the result of a different value system and one that permeates all LIS-related electronic discussions lists or is a particular feature of JESSE (2000, p. 287). This means that she remembers every detail you say. Now, the space really makes a big difference just like you are giving some space to your girlfriend when she is mad. The exclamation point, especially in multiples, can present a double-bind for women. Inter-rater agreement was established at 81% for the messages from dig_ref and at 85% for messages from JESSE. Samples were examined for the presence (or absence) of certain elements [such as] numbers or words or other types of symbols (1977, p. 19), and in the case of exclamation points, the elements were counted. It conveys a message of eagerness and excitement without sounding needy. In a piece for the New Statesman last year, writer Amelia Tait explains that men have more room to appear unenthusiastic than women do. Combined participation rates for both groups averaged 62% female and 38% male in both the original sample of 607 messages from dig_ref and 1,077 messages from JESSE and in the larger sample of 1,400 messages from each group. Censoring words mean that she thinks that the receiver is not sport enough to entertain those kinds of words. 0 Reply. A study in 2006 looked at how people used exclamation marks in an online question-and-answer forum. Most likely, she will answer with short words such as Okay and Its clear, etc. ")}else if (texts 6. Server responsed at: 05/01/2023 9:15 a.m. What does it mean when a girl uses exclamation marks in texts? I dont have one of those sunny dispositions that inspire musicals. The world is flat! When considered in context, however, tag questions were found to serve the function of asserting joint activity and of consolidating friendship (Coates, 1998, p. 250). Although female and male styles were shown to be more similar to one another than different, Rubin and Greene reported that where male and female styles did diverge, they differed in predicted directions. Girl Uses Lots of Exclamation Points: What Does That Mean? Id is just as acceptable as I'd. And with each stack the meaning changes. If she doesnt strive to end it as soon as possible but wants to talk longer with you this is a good sign. Numerous exclamation marks mean that she really likes this correspondence and, accordingly, that she likes you. A co-worker of mine confessed to being an exclamation-point abuser (as am I) but she argued there was no other choice, especially given how many work emails she has to send ("I don't want to sound like a bitch!"). The adjusted results show that 62 (34%) of the exclamations were friendly., Content codes for exclamations from dig_ref and JESSE. Any ratio higher than one emoticon per one hundred texts is pure poison. A woman who uses a lot of exclamation marks is often seen as bubbly or girlish. What her texts really mean ultimately depend on the individual relationship. Damon Lindelofs new Peacock series is about a tech-averse nun on a quest for the Holy Grail. You can also use ellipses in a positive way, to get the person's imagination going: Had maybe a few too many drinks last night legs are sore from dancing in the bathtub right now That text takes three statements and just loads them with sexual undertones thanks to the ellipses. And yet, phrases like Thanks so much!, So nice to meet you! This lampooning of theunspoken requirement that weadorn digital communication with cutesy emojis will be familiar to many, especially millennial women. Want to come with? It shows how each piece of research built on its predecessors, further developing the notion that exclamation points function as markers of excitability. Instead of ditching them as you wish you could, you and your friend exchange enthusiastic texts: we still on for tonight? NewJoshuaPls 4 yr. ago. What does it mean if a girl uses exclamation points? Its exhausting thinking of the possibilities. She has a point, especially when it comes to how different everyones texting habits can be. So using a semicolon in a text shows you've thought out, revised, and overedited your message. In addition, each rater assigned a gender code F or M (a U was also available for unknown, but was not needed) to the first name of each message poster. These results echo the lack of flaming and other abusive behavior observed during Sierpes (2000) monitoring of JESSE. Guess what, youre in trouble. When Rebecca Blaine Carton worked in an all-women office, she came to realize how necessary emojis and friendly punctuation have become for basic communication. The term Markers of Excitability appears as a header in a results subsection. (More on exclamation points below.). Because they desperately need to prove to each other how totally not mad they are at each other (even though they are) and that bleeds into all other texts. The first thing you should pay attention to is whether a girl shows special attention to you in the process of correspondence. I like to think it sends a subconscious message that you take the extra time to do things right. That means you're trying too hard, and there's nothing worse than trying too hard. And thats the least zany thing about it. For example, John sent a message to a girl and got a reply like John! In this case, the sender or the girl is glad that John remembers her. In the second one, *without the period, it feels much more open-ended * -- I'm heading out to the party now but who knows what I'm doing later, and you just might be part of it. Explanation of difference: McCulloch says exclamation points have been used as "a politeness marker" since the early 2000s. A complete list of the content codes adapted for this study, along with definitions and examples for each code, is provided in Table 2. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. *prize may be substituted for firm handshake or one turn at claw game. The name explanation point is often used to convey a sense of excitement on the part of the text receiver upon receiving a text from the texter. When you first start dating someone new, its natural to want to put your best foot forward. Carol Waseleski, Gender and the Use of Exclamation Points in Computer-Mediated Communication: An Analysis of Exclamations Posted to Two Electronic Discussion Lists, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 11, Issue 4, 1 July 2006, Pages 10121024, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00305.x. Please Log In or add your name and email to post the comment. Yes, the whole language. (There were no exclamations in the Flame 3 category.). Because if they were, they'd run around dropping f-bombs and c-bombs and f'd-in-the-a-with-your-own-d-bombs without the censorship. When a girl does use a punctuation mark, there . If you leave, let me know! Little do they know I'm plotting my elaborate revenge on them.". As a guy, this is the first time I have heard of this. Extraordinarily ambitious for its time, Hiatts content analysis of 100 literary works incorporated the use of computers to determine whether a feminine writing style actually existed and, if so, how it differed from masculine writing style. Leaving one out keeps things open. Interestingly, the independent raters assignments were exactly the same as the authors. Using a single question mark means a simple question, using two question marks may be a typographical error or to emphasize the question, but when three or more question marks are used in a sentence, there is a sense of anger, desperation and it requires an immediate answer, NOW. Too many. I feel like this might be a generalization. However, she hasrecently heard from young people who say theyre not allowed to use the exclamation mark at workbecause their employers perceive it as aggressive. If I were to write those phrases as Id actually say them, all of the exclamation points would become periods. She uses lots of emojis and rarely gives you one-word answers to your texts. The way you use an exclamation point can change your dating life. In addition, Herring (1996) has observed that electronic discussion lists serving female-predominant professions tend to exhibit features of female discourse style. The present study begins by examining a body of research relating gender and the use of exclamation points. So here are the clues his/her punctuation choices are sending (and also the clues you're sending right back). My hair is getting gray! Only 11 exclamations in the Flame 1 category (mild argument/annoyance) were made, eight by females and four by males. Ask her out on a date and dont be afraid to communicate in real life. Here are a few examples over text: Compliments and mentions of future dates are always a good indication of where your relationship is headed. One more thing that you have to take into account is whether she wants to write you. Of the 19 excitable exclamations, 10 were made by females and nine were made by males. For example, is Thank you! perceived as friendlier than Thank you in email? Use them because you feel you have to and youre not ~living your truth~. (Or that her emoticon had some kind of palsy.). Is there any truth to this? But its a fine line between enthusiastic and unprofessional. But depending on how many question marks are used in a sentence, the meaning also changes. Like. Keep up with Maya on Twitter and Website. When you ask if shed like to get drinks sometime, its easier for her to say yes to some vague plans in the distant future. Exclamation points are crucial. After completing her Masters Degree in Library Science, she became the director of Pettee Memorial Library in Wilmington, Vermont. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. But be careful. Tait writes, If you texted your friend Fancy dinner? and they replied Sure., you might be offended. I find that to be completely true. In other words, if there are no exclamation points at all, assume something is wrong. Asterisk. Or she may not answer at all. 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. My HIV+ Story Is One I Refuse To Be AshamedOf, The Best Relationship Advice No One Ever ToldYou. To get a taste of [], The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running, The Internet Is Ruined. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. I can meet you tonight or tomorrow.. Table 3 indicates that most (i.e., 59) exclamations were statements of fact (Theres still time to register!Computers had an important impact in libraries before 1970!That makes us kindred souls!). Scates analyzed many of the same stylistic elements that Hiatt had, among them exclamations. The codes Thanks 1 and Thanks 2 (thanks expressed either within the body of the message or as closing or greeting statements) both refer to a friendly kind of thanking. A Chi square analysis was conducted using exclamation rates (73% female and 27% male) as observed frequencies and participation rates (62% female and 38% male) as expected frequencies. = n (n 1) (n 2). Now we have to look at 140 to 160 characters -- and with less raw data to work with, our overanalyzing hits a whole different level of insanity. In contrast, men who use them too often aren't seen as boyish, but juvenile. These days, the slow but sure creep of 'Net-speak into our stories can mean that sometimes we have to put the brakes on "bae" or send YAASSSSS on permanent hiatus. texting at the beginning of a relationship, texts wont leave you guessing where you stand with each other, recent communication hasnt been as energetic, I woke up thinking about you today. Many young people have a computer-first mentality and choose different grammatical tools in messages compared with those who are older and grew up doing "more casual writing on postcards, sayslinguist Gretchen McCulloch, author of "Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language.". So next time your roommate asks you to grab toilet paper, its okay to text back sure, no problemwithout the. What time do you want to meet up??? [deleted] 4 yr. ago. The electronic discussion group JESSE is not dedicated to a particular topic, but serves various professionals in library and information science (LIS) education. Exclamation points are the most abused piece of punctuation in our world today. Here are three common punctuation points that can cause trouble, and how to deal with them: To older texters: The dot-dot-dot can mean an indication of a new idea, with no negative connotation. Sign up to receive tips on work, life, and how to chase (and reach!) On the other hand, computer space is cheap, McCulloch says. Although selection of LIS electronic discussion groups provided an opportunity to relate new findings to old in a field in which computer-mediated communication is becoming increasingly important, LIS-oriented values may have affected the results, limiting the possibility of generalization to other types of electronic discussion groups. Comparisons might also be made in non-work online settings. This punctuation mark is seldom used in text messages because people especially the younger group prefer to make shortcuts with their words. awe-snapp 4 yr. ago. Further, messages posted to electronic discussion lists reflect spontaneous discourse that is unmodified by others, and such messages have the additional advantage of being more or less permanently archived on the Internet and available for inspection by anyone (Sierpe, 2000). This is a very dangerous reply especially if it comes from your girlfriend. Like I got one text from her that 3 exclamation points and two smiley faces. A Chi square analysis was performed using excitable exclamation rates (53% female and 47% male) as observed frequencies and participation rates (62% female and 38% male) as expected frequencies. If you (God forbid) talked to the person on the phone, you might sing-say that entire question. So they need two exclamations where one used to do. This article will help you understand the messages behind every womans punctuation marks on her text messages. In text land, apostrophes have become endangered species. A Chi square analysis was also attempted for use of friendly exclamations. First, even though email is extensively used, it still lacks universally agreed modes of behavior established by generations of use (Crystal, 2001, p. 15) and precise means for conveying exactly the impressions the email sender wishes to convey. This is even more threatening than the situation where a girl uses lots of exclamation points. The main reason people use asterisks in a text is to censor a word, for example: "I like deep-fried sandwiches so my friends call me the C*** of Monte Cristo. Feels impatient, childish. If they have read notifications on and dont reply, its easy to get anxious or even angry. Or perhaps that period you used made your tone seemcurt when you were just trying to end a sentence. The gender of the writer of each exclamation was also recorded, with gender being determined by the message writers first name. Search for other works by this author on: Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage, Lakoff in context: The social and linguistic functions of tag questions, Women in Their Speech Communities: New Perspectives on Language and Sex, Gender-linked differences in the style and content of e-mails to friends, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Gender Differences in Computer-Mediated Communication: Bringing Familiar Baggage to the New Frontier, Two variants of an electronic message schema, Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Computer-mediated discourse analysis: An approach to researching online behavior, Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning, Discourse competence; or how to theorize strong women speakers, The Oxford Companion to the English Language, A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, ProjectH overview: A collaborative quantitative study of computer-mediated communication, Gender language style in group composition in Internet discussion groups, A Sociolinguistic Study of Male/Female Language in Freshman Composition, Gender and technological practice in electronic discussion lists: An examination of JESSE, the library information science education forum, Table No. It turned my hair gray! Drop them altogether, and those very same may people read you as cold and remote or even angry. Especially if she remembers the specific details that you once mentioned. Content was analyzed to determine such elements as sentence type, syntax, use of figurative language, and approaches to topics, but some elements, such as exclamations, were simply counted. Girls like to say things in a not-so-direct ways. However, the contexts in which the exclamation points appeared in these reports have generally not been examined for evidence of "excitability." Youd is just as acceptable at you'd. Thus, in assigning gender identity to the first names of the posters of the exclamations, 100% inter-rater reliability was established for both dig_ref and JESSE. And if you're male steer very clear. For example, women used far more exclamation points than men (1992, p. 7). The Metaverse Can Still Be Saved. [removed] [deleted] 4 yr. ago. July 1991. The first sample consisted of the 607 messages from dig_ref and the 1,077 messages from JESSE that were used to retrieve the 200 exclamations used for this study. Youre is just as acceptable as you're. Woman uses exclamation marks when sending texts to me Exclamation marks like a girl lourdesgracev Level 1 (Contributor) 1 Answer 0 0 When they get angry they use a lot of exclamation marks.The ahahaha and hehehe uses when they want to express their feelings. Point! It's an aggressive question: It demands a response, and suggests that the response had better be to your liking. It's like she was outsourcing her texting to a seventh grader. So use one question mark to just move the conversation along, and four to move it along flirtatiously. 11. Moreover, parts or all of some messages had been copied and pasted from other sources, and those messages thus did not consist of original, spontaneously composed text. Carol Scates (1981) analysis of the gendered writing styles found in first year college students compositions built on Hiatts study, which she characterized as the most comprehensive work on mens and womens writing styles to date (Scates, 1981, p. 22). Your subscription has been confirmed. Finally, females made 53% of all emotional statements (as defined above), compared to 47% by males. It wasn't so long ago that a single exclamation point still felt extreme. I have a bmw 323i,red exclamation point light is on in dashboard,not sure what is means misplaced my service book,but i think it means low tire pressu; If a guy sends you exclamation marks in text mark, what does it mean? You've been added to our list and will hear from us soon. A line break takes up the same amount of code as dot-dot-dot. Soto begin a new idea, a younger person will likely begin a new message. The results of the present study bring to mind Coates (1998) study of gossip, in which she points out that womens uses of tag questions and other devices had been interpreted as signs of weakness (1998, p. 250). A plus sign doesn't simply translate to "and" it's a symbolic unification. As the global pandemic pushes more communication from in-person to text, there is even greater opportunity for confusion over digitalmessages. And now, because this has gotten a little awkward, I think we should meet at the theater so I have an escape plan.". Regarding statements of fact, 81% were made by females, and 19% by males. 1. As was the case with tag questions in previous research, it was expected that exclamations in these messages might have a range of meaning across contexts (Cameron, McAlinden, & OLeary 1988, p. 77); thus two raters reviewed the context in which the exclamations appeared and assigned each exclamation to one of 16 different content codes. The findings are summarized below. Periods end things. She replies to your texts quickly. Many exclamation points means she's really happy or trying to be flirty. Future studies might address these limitations by comparing exclamations posted in electronic discussion lists associated with feminized professions to exclamations posted in lists associated with other, non-feminized professions. +1 y. Sample conversation: Guy: Hey, hows your week going? But if the message were written Sounds good! that message would read as positive because an exclamation point indicates a rising intonation. In the case of JESSE, 1,077 messages were reviewed. The exclamation point is the most valuable punctuation mark you have in your arsenal, but it's also the most dangerous. Tag questions, for example, are usually understood by grammarians to invite verification, confirmation, or consent, and by some linguists (e.g., Brown & Levinson, 1987), to function as politeness devices. Explanation of. According to a2012 study, women also use more emoticonsand, according to a 2009 study, more lexical tools like capitalization and extra letters. However, the finding that females use exclamations significantly more than do males is consistent with the findings of Rubin and Greene (1992), Winn and Rubin (2001), and Colley and Todd (2002). At the time this study was conducted, JESSE subscribership was 1,154. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. She keeps the conversation going when she could have ended it. (See Appendix for additional details regarding the two samples.) The good news: When you understand the reasoning behind the grammar in a text from someone from who has a different relationship with technology (and typically is of a different generation), you can better avoid miscommunication. If she were actually into you, shed be way too embarrassed to use nicknames. If the sentence is correct as it is, write "OK." hope it helps. But she isnt, so shes calling you friend because she wants to JUST BE FRIENDS. Sample response: I have no idea what my schedule is like this week, life is soOOOooOo crazy!!!! Using the rates of 70.3% female and 29.7% male as observed frequencies and participation rates of 62% female and 38% male as expected frequencies, Chi square results (Chi square = 2.924, df = 1, p=.0872) again suggest that a larger sample would be needed in order to better evaluate this relationship, although the trend in this case favors female use of friendly exclamations.