Recent studies reveal a marked decline in the usage of semicolons in English literature, sparking debate among linguists and writers. Semicolons were recently praised for their shrewd capacity to join closely-related independent constructions. Yet their usage has nearly halved over the past 20 years. The tectonic move makes us wonder about how written language is evolving and what the fate of this unique punctuation character will be.
Semicolons serve a crucial role in writing. They join two equal but different ideas, enabling complicated thoughts for clarity that is often more specific. Semicolons are made especially for the work of juxtaposition, and they can take the place of misleading supernumerary commas in long enumerations. They prevent pesky comma splices, the grammatical error of mistakenly connecting two independent clauses with a comma.
The semicolon has served a crucial role in English grammar since its inception. Aldus Pius Manutius the Elder introduced it as a common type in 1494. Writers like Abraham Lincoln extolled its virtues, with Lincoln stating, “I have a great respect for the semicolon; it’s a very useful little chap.” Respected literary giants such as Virginia Woolf and Cormac McCarthy crystallized this notion in their writings. Woolf notoriously wrote more than 1,000 semicolons in her novel *Mrs. Dalloway*, but McCarthy used only 42 semicolons in his debut novel, *The Orchard Keeper*.
Even with this historical context in mind, new data shows a shocking fall off in semicolon adoption. According to Google n-grams, semicolons were used once every 205 words in English books published in the year 2000. That wording today has turned into one for every 390 words. Out of this market trend, a startling number arises—a 388% increase from the year 1800 to 2006. It implies that people used to welcome the punctuation mark with open arms.
Even critics of semicolon-punishment week have seen the danger in this excessive habit. Lynne Truss, the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, warns us about the dangers of defaulting to semicolons. As she puts it, “Some of the writers enslaved by semicolons bring shame on their houses.” Her 2000 critique resonates with the increasing perception that today’s writers might avoid this punctuation mark completely.
The decline isn’t just stopping our literary giants from leaving testaments to their art. It’s keeping younger generations of writers from doing so as well. One study found that two-thirds of British students never or rarely use semicolons in their writing. It is a troubling trend, one that seems to suggest a generational change in approach to writing and pedagogy.
Overall usage was up by 27% in 2022 over 2017, indicating that more writers are coming back to appreciate its value for the first time. Hilary Mantel humorously captured the essence of this punctuation mark: “There’s nothing in this breathing world so gratifying as an artfully placed semicolon.” Her recognition is indicative of the idea that profound linguistic craftsmanship can transcend writing to new heights.
As inviting as it all sounds, many writers have run afoul of the grammar police for abuse of the ellipsis. EL James’s Fifty Shades trilogy International Comma Day Comma abuse, EL James obliterated the semicolon cheating. This backlash highlights the larger punctuation wars writers are fighting in general right now.
Kurt Vonnegut averaged less than 30 semicolons per novel. This is both encouraging and exciting. It is a reminder that today’s best writing can be striking in its restraint. This is a stark change from past authors who used semicolons with abandon.