Interrobang or quesclamation mark? You decide
This morning, whilst consulting Wikipedia for the correct way to use a hyphen, I noticed a link under the Uncommon typography heading for the "interrobang". The link was accompanied by a symbol that looks suspiciously like a quesclamation mark.
Further investigation (i.e. clicking the link) revealed that according to Wikipedia the interrobang is, in fact, a quesclamation mark, which was invented in 2003 by my friend Jeremy Stubbs when he was bored.
Here’s the symbol for interrobang.
‽
(The quesclamation mark symbol remains under development.)
Read the wikipedia entry for interrobang and you’ll understand why the world isn’t yet taking it seriously. How can society be expected to be comfortable with a piece of punctuation that sounds like the dramatic end to a tough line of questioning? Besides, as long as the symbol remains a combination of two existing symbols it’ll never have its own identity.
Jed often takes time out of his day to evangelise the quesclamation mark, and today is no exception. He’s added a paragraph to the Wikipedia entry that gently suggests that the interrobang is sooooo 20th century. Long live the quesclamation mark.
Just in case a nosey Wikipedia moderator removes that text, Jed wrote:
A modern alternative to the interrobang is the Quesclamation mark, invented by Jeremy Stubbs in 2003. A variation on the theme of a rhetorical question mark, it has a dedicated symbol as opposed to combination of 2 existing punctuation symbols. The application of the Quesclamation mark aligns to that of the interrobang.
Jed will be touring the country speaking about his role as the father of modern-day punctuation in December. You can catch him at the Rooty Hill RSL, the Dandenong Workers Club and the Kalgoorlie Bowls Club, and other similar venues. He’s on just before Ian Turpie.