Recently there was news which surprised everyone! It was about the abolition of comma. An English Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University said that comma should be made redundant as it is not necessary now. This news sparked lot of discussions among literates.It has been seen that some languages such as German language, there are fixed rules for the usage
of comma unlike English, which makes an
additional remorseful thought for the condition of this punctuation mark.
The history of Comma
Comma was introduced as a punctuation mark in
the early 16th century. It was used to show the specific meaning of
the sentence/text, mainly for clarity of uncertainty which sometimes arise in particular
contexts.
The redundancy of comma
Professor John says that the downfall of comma
is the result of its inconsistency. In an interview with the ‘Slate’ magazine, he
said that nobody can tell the reasons of anything which is logical and
sensible. So they are just fashions
and conventions which change over time.”
Many English users found comma
extremely useful in splitting the sentences so they were not in favour of
making it obsolete. Many authors such as Lynne Truss, the
best-seller for her “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”, support the correct usage of
comma in her writing about a panda. Comma has a useful existence in evading
wrong titles, and clarifying misleading information. The discussion about
killing of this humble punctuation symbol is still lingering; let us see, till
when it awaits for its final dismissal from the English literature!
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