I hate this grammatical rule

[laarree]

[quote Robert M]Laar,

Oh, I know. It can make a world of difference. That's why I put a huge emphasis on grammar and punctuation when I taught English. Let's just say I was very disheartened and disturbed when children turned in papers peppered with "internet speak" such as "u" instead of the actual word and enough many grammar and punctuation errors to make Strunk, Jr and White puke in their coffins. And, they'd come back from the grave to do it!

Robert
Now now, they wouldn't exactly need to come back from the grave to puke in their coffins.
Don't let the kids get U into a kerfuffle. ;-)

[jimbrady]

Yes, Robert, the punctuation has its counterpart in the spoken word, but the symbols were invented as an abstract representation of those spoken inflections. Punctuation gives those adept at using it the ability to be more reliably understood than people using the spoken word (which explains why some people can't resist the urge to speak the words, "quote, unquote" at the beginning of a phrase with attribution, or for which they don't, themselves, want to be held accountable).

PS: Ain't it neat how a close-parentheses mark goes inside the punctuation?

[tenders]

RgrF:
> If the point of language is communication, rules become secondary to thought
> and this entire thread becomes an exercise in intellectual masturbation.

I have a real problem with that and think that everyone else on this forum should as well.

Here's why: if this thread is an exercise in intellectual masturbation, then this forum must by definition be one gigantic orgy. We cannot accept this, because if this is as good as an orgy gets, then this is clearly not an orgy.

Thus, for our own good, we must conclude that the point of language is NOT communication.

[laarree]

[quote tenders]RgrF:
> If the point of language is communication, rules become secondary to thought
> and this entire thread becomes an exercise in intellectual masturbation.

I have a real problem with that and think that everyone else on this forum should as well.

Here's why: if this thread is an exercise in intellectual masturbation, then this forum must by definition be one gigantic orgy. We cannot accept this, because if this is as good as an orgy gets, then this is clearly not an orgy.

Thus, for our own good, we must conclude that the point of language is NOT communication.
The point of language here is a human form of display. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_%28zoology%29

[$tevie]

I have always considered a period to mean "the end". So to me, it only makes sense that it comes last, regardless of what is going on within the sentence. It's that simple.