Why Using a Period at the End of a Sentence Sounds So Angry

I recently received a request for some outstanding work that ended with the words “Many thanks.”

The period drove me insane.

Had my associate written “Many thanks!” I might have taken that little bat and ball of an exclamation mark as a jolly request for work I did genuinely owe them. Had they written “Many thanks,” and signed off with their name, I might have found the phrasing cold but professional.

But the simple, formal nature of “many thanks,” coupled with the tiny on-screen bullethole of a period? Well, that screamed “shots fired.” (See also: “Thanks in advance.” or: “Happy to discuss this in person.”)

In an era when every digital exchange must be carefully signposted with 👍 and 🙂 at regular intervals to maintain a relentlessly upbeat tone, we might think of the simple period as an old-fashioned piece of punctuation that escapes such self-conscious scrutiny. After all, from an early age, we’re taught that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period.

But as text speak becomes a parallel language with its own norms and rules, every bit of punctuation can carry an additional weighty meaning. And on WhatsApp, text messaging, and Slack, the period’s function is changing.

Research from Binghamton University suggests that the period now signals a lack of sincerity. In digital communication, it’s a tiny clue at the end of a sentence, one that seems to contradict the words that precede it.

The period does not simply end the message. It is the message itself. It has been grammatically weaponized. It’s the little bomb your ex put there to be stared at for hours, wondering, “what does that dot really mean?”

Consider this exchange:

Is that OK with you?

Yeah

... versus:

Is that OK with you?

Yeah.

The period is screaming “I’m faking a brave face, but no, it is not OK, ask me why, ASK ME WHY!” Instead of a period suggesting “that’s the end of the story,” it’s actually saying, “there’s a whole other story here.” This appears to be a purely digital phenomenon. Those judging the sincerity of an exchange like that above would not have doubted the sincerity had it been handwritten.

In her book, Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, the linguist Gretchen McCulloch says that use of the period in text exchanges can easily come across as passive-aggressive.

“If you’re a young person and you’re sending a message to someone, the default way to break up your thoughts is to send each one as a new message,” McCulloch told the BBC. “Anything additional you include can take on an additional interpretation.”

In online communication, it is easy to see a future without the period at all. The warmth of un-ended sentences suggests an openness and willingness to maintain a never-ending conversation between friends. To use a period is to abruptly raise the flag of finality in a hitherto positive conversation. “It’s the juxtaposition of those things,” McCulloch suggested to the BBC, “which creates that sense of passive aggression.”

It’s not always intentional. We might assume we have become victim of digital passive aggression when perhaps none was intended. Psychological research has shown that we are more likely to mistakenly identify something as rude if we have recently experienced or witnessed rudeness elsewhere.

How does one avoid this? For many who crave the safety net of proper grammar, saying goodbye to the period might be a bridge too far.

The solution: the exclamation mark.

Sorry. I mean: the exclamation mark!

Once kept at the back of the cupboard, and only meant to be used in moments of emergency or elation, this punctuation mark’s time has finally come. The Binghamton study showed that rather than indicating intensity, our excitable little pal has now come to represent precisely what the full stop doesn’t: sincerity, friendliness, good humor.

So next time you need work from me, ditch that period. I’m looking for a warm “many thanks!” — instead of how I’m about to end this article: Many thanks for reading.