From Where Did We Get the Comma?

Believe it or not, it hasn’t always existed….

So the Comma Hasn’t Always Been Around?

No! Actually the Romans didn’t use a comma in traditional Latin!

Then Where Did it Come From?

The comma came from the Greek ‘κόμμα’ or ‘komma’. The word comma literally meant ‘to cut off’, coming from the Greek word koptein. It was invented in the third century (B.C.) by Aristophanes of Byzantium along with the rest of a system of dots used to show pauses in speech. Each dot represented a different length of pause. The comma we know today descended from a diagonal slash known as a virgula suspensiva ( /). It was used from the 13th to the 17th centuries to represent the same length of pause as a comma does today. The modern comma was first used by Aldus Manutius.

The Comma’s Use

“The comma is used in many contexts and languages, mainly for separating things. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word comma comes directly from the Greek komma (κόμμα), which means something cut off or a short clause. A comma can also be used as a diacritic when combined with other characters.”

“In general, the comma shows that the words immediately before the comma are less closely or exclusively linked grammatically to those immediately after the comma than they might be otherwise. The comma may perform a number of functions in English writing. It is used in generally similar ways in other languages, particularly European ones, although the rules on comma usage — and their rigidity — vary from language to language.”

It is also used in lists, numbers, and other examples. Variations may be involved between different languages and dialect.

“Put a Comma Where You Would Take a Breath” , Right?

Wrong! This rule just doesn’t work. Well I know what you’re probably asking, “If it doesn’t work, then why was the rule invented?”, and that’s a very good question! Where did this rule come from?

Interestingly enough, this rules comes from the earliest days of reading and writing when written text was read aloud. It was almost as if commas were signs to tell the reader WHEN to breathe! Christianity was the main reason that punctuation rules were strictly enforced. St. Augustine couldn’t bear the thought that passages of the Bible might be read incorrectly. Irish scribes and medieval monks also contributed to the development of punctuation, but it wasn’t until the invention of the printing press that punctuation became a norm when it came to written text. The kinds of rules weren’t only developed for reading the text, but also for analyzing them. By breaking the sentences into smaller, more concise fragments, they could be read quicker and understood more precisely.

Conclusion

So although the comma may be easy to misuse, due to the complicated rules that follow it, it still has become one of the most popular punctuation marks in the world.

Bibliography

“A Short History of Commas.” Uwosh.edu. University of Wisconsin/Oshkosh, n.d. Web. 2 July 2014. <http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/maguirem/history.html>.

“Comma.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 June 2014. Web. 02 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma>.

“Dictionary.com.” Dictionary.com Blog. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 02 July 2014. <http://blog.dictionary.com/comma/>.