Accents and other synthetic markings
Posted: October 21st, 2012, 1:00 pm
I just read a concern that a poster did not use accents when cut and pasting the text under consideration. I disagreed with those who mentioned it.
What can happen with regard to the use of accents, punctuation, and anything beyond the letters of the text, is to forget that these synthetic marks can often result in having the reader rely on them, such that they become part of the word. For those who read the early texts, these marks will become an obstacle to reading, as well as (an obstacle to) making the reader grapple with the wording of the text, if you ask me. Accents and etc. move us away from the early text, and I really can't see a benefit in that. No, I'm not advocating having us read all CAPS glued together, although some purists may prefer that. The accents move on to the interpretation of the text, which again provides no benefit; it creates a hybrid of text and interpretation, which is not what a 'text' should be. I have been reading the CAPS for quite some time and I'm not at all an advocate of that, but the CAPS reduced to lower case is still a problem. Now, one may ask, isn't separating the letters into words interpretive? Yes, of course it is. What's the solution? Return to all CAPS in RUN ON WORDS? Hardly. But whatever is chosen, move the least one can from the early text. Critical marks are not necessary.
What can happen with regard to the use of accents, punctuation, and anything beyond the letters of the text, is to forget that these synthetic marks can often result in having the reader rely on them, such that they become part of the word. For those who read the early texts, these marks will become an obstacle to reading, as well as (an obstacle to) making the reader grapple with the wording of the text, if you ask me. Accents and etc. move us away from the early text, and I really can't see a benefit in that. No, I'm not advocating having us read all CAPS glued together, although some purists may prefer that. The accents move on to the interpretation of the text, which again provides no benefit; it creates a hybrid of text and interpretation, which is not what a 'text' should be. I have been reading the CAPS for quite some time and I'm not at all an advocate of that, but the CAPS reduced to lower case is still a problem. Now, one may ask, isn't separating the letters into words interpretive? Yes, of course it is. What's the solution? Return to all CAPS in RUN ON WORDS? Hardly. But whatever is chosen, move the least one can from the early text. Critical marks are not necessary.