Topics pertaining to the use or meaning of symbols other than punctuation in written English
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1answer
76 views
English notation for hour, minutes and seconds
I often see English notation about time using the " and ' symbols.
I have always mistaken about the two, and even their meaning.
I'm more used to 01:05:56 for example.
Which is for hour, which is ...
0
votes
0answers
43 views
what do you call this symbol @ [duplicate]
do you call it the 'at' symbol or at the rate of or something else? I know the dictionary answer, more interested in the colloquial. Has a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_sign but it just ...
-1
votes
1answer
110 views
On the Origin of the Universal Quantifier: A Semiotic Etymology [closed]
What is the "etymology" of the symbol ∀ (for all), the universal quantifier. I can't find anything here, but I suspect it was adopted in the same way our numerals were adopted.
REMARK ABOUT A ...
2
votes
2answers
73 views
Is there a symbol I can use as a substitute for a word or part of a word (similar to how ◌ is used for diacritics)? [closed]
I am making a chart that illustrates prefixes, suffixes and middles of words in Braille, and I was wondering if there is a symbol I can use to represent word, part of word or rest of word, similar to ...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
Dollar sign necessary in “$16 LD”?
I'm editing a book that mentions Liberian Dollars (LD) and U.S. Dollars (USD). Should I put a dollar sign in front of the number or not? ($16 LD or 16 LD? $10 USD or 10 USD?)
0
votes
0answers
124 views
What do things like ;) and :D mean? [closed]
When I wander in StackOverflow, I always see people use ;) or :D. I thought it was maybe some kind of expression, but I don't know whats it means. Also, are there more symbols like these? What are ...
5
votes
1answer
836 views
Symbol, punctuation, or abbreviation that indicates a “paraphrase”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?
This question is born of practical necessity - one that I encountered while quoting a reference in "another" Stack ...
70
votes
6answers
3k views
What the #$@&%*! is that called?
Is there a name for the use of symbols in place of curse words, for example #$@&%*!?
5
votes
2answers
307 views
3
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3answers
3k views
Is there a symbol for “and/or”?
I am wondering if there is a symbol or glyph to represent the conjunct "and/or". I doubt there is a formal, de jure symbol (i.e., found in any manual of style or dictionary), but I cannot even find ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Annotation symbols
Let's say you were going to put 3 annotations all on one page. What are the 3 different symbols you would use if you weren't going to use numbers?
14
votes
1answer
1k views
What is this symbol called: “¶” [closed]
I'm trying to find out what this symbol means and if it has a name:
¶
I've seen it being used in word processors.
0
votes
1answer
354 views
Which dash should be used to indicate “None”, “No Answer”, or “Not Applicable”? [closed]
Consider the following overview of an individual's profile:
Name: John Smith
Age: 29
Marital status: Single
Spouse's Name: -
The dash given as "Spouse's Name" indicates that there is no ...
-1
votes
1answer
335 views
How can I call these symbols in English? [closed]
I'm a programmer and I wonder how I can call these symbols in English:
~
|
^
`
21
votes
1answer
994 views
What's the name of this letter? [closed]
I came upon this letter when reading a book, I couldn't find its name on the internet, you can imagine how hard it is to search about it.
What is the name of the letter that follows "sample space"?
...
5
votes
2answers
482 views
4
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2answers
686 views
Are alpha and omega common abbreviations for birth and death? [closed]
In Italy, perhaps due to our Greek-Roman influence on culture, it is not uncommon to see something like:
alpha January 9, 1913 — omega April 22, 1994
...written on tombstones to mean dates ...
10
votes
1answer
2k views
Is there a proper name for the 3 asterisks that are used to suggest temporal discontinuity?
For example, when some long prose passage ends, this appears:
* * *
Then some new prose passage begins. The three asterisks dividing the two prose sections are understood to divide the two ...
3
votes
3answers
387 views
Pronunciation of “#winning”
How do you pronounce #winning aloud? Would it be hashtag winning, hash winning, pound winning, winning or something else? This goes for all hashtags.
2
votes
0answers
131 views
Why do we use a leading dollar sign? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
What is the difference between 20$ and $20?
Why is the unit of measure placed before the value for currencies? Are there other measures where the unit precedes value?
...
1
vote
1answer
195 views
What's the difference between - and — in a phrase? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen?
When do I put a - in a sentence? Is it a more powerful comma? With a bigger pause?
2
votes
3answers
902 views
Is an ampersand formal?
I've noticed that there are many companies whose names contain an ampersand. A quick Google search for "& Sons, Inc", or something similar, should yield countless examples. Though it's not ...
4
votes
2answers
792 views
Is double prime (″) the correct symbol to use for specifying inches?
Is the double prime symbol (″) the correct symbol to use when specifying inches? For example:
3′11″
0
votes
3answers
356 views
Which symbols can I use as shorthands to convey specific meanings?
For example, "/" (slash) can be used to mean "or" for two things that are interchangeable:
I am taking my car/automobile to meet with my date/girlfriend.
Are there other symbols like this that ...
24
votes
1answer
887 views
What are these symbols called in the English language?
You see these all the time in movies, usually when some poor guy has been wrongly imprisoned and begins counting the days since his incarceration, but what are these markings called? I used to know, ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is the word 'number' abbreviated to 'No.' in UK English and '#' in American English?
Why the disparity. And why use 'No.'? Is it from the French?
And the hash or pound sign seems a weird choice too, is there a history or any reason involved?
4
votes
4answers
178 views
use of => symbol
For years I have used '=>' as a sign meaning 'should be changed to' and I have long since forgotten whether this is a personal idiosyncrasy or an actual existing usage.
e.g. "in the sentence above ...
1
vote
1answer
616 views
Does the “@” symbol have a name? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to pronounce @ symbol?
In Spanish, @ is called arroba.
I saw this question, and it says it's called "commercial at" according to Wikipedia. A lot of languages have ...
9
votes
3answers
921 views
What's the meaning of the symbol ‡?
I am trying to get the meaning of the symbol ‡. I saw it a couple of times: as a tattoo in a little boy finger, and on Wikipedia.
How is this symbol called in English?
4
votes
2answers
814 views
Is there a symbol out there capable of denoting a chapter in a citation?
When citing like [Source, ch.number], is there a particular symbol that could or should replace the "ch." abbreviation?
22
votes
5answers
6k views
Why are Greek letters pronounced incorrectly in scientific English?
In Greek, for example, the letter β is pronounced "veeta", but in science, people use "beta". Some other offenders are η "eeta", ι "yiota", μ "mee", ν "nee", π "pee", τ "taf", χ "chee", ψ "psee".
I ...
31
votes
11answers
8k views
What is the difference between 20$ and $20?
I am seeing both 20$ and $20 usages. (20 is nonessential to this question.)
What is the difference between them?
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Choosing between “100%” and “cent percent”
I am a non-native English speaker. I am applying for the USA university for management studies. While writing the essay I came across the sentence, "I was 100% confident."
My query:
Is it ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
What's the word Copyright and `(C)' mean?
In the lines:
Copyright (C) 1994 Tom
Copyright (C) 1995, 1996 Cruise
Copyright (C) 1997, 1998 Louis
Here, what's the original meaning of "Copyright"? And why the mark "(C)"?
And, what is ...
5
votes
2answers
314 views
Finding out the names of symbols
Is there a comprehensive list on the web where I can find the names of common symbols? Google unfortunately doesn't search on symbols, so it is pretty much useless there.
Specifically, what is ` ...
9
votes
7answers
4k views
How does one pronounce the '@' symbol?
How can I pronounce @ symbol: At / At the rate?
Can I use it in a sentence? Please explain with an example.
