prog: (Default)
prog ([personal profile] prog) wrote2006-03-25 11:47 am
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To an American, I think, ending a sentence expressing a simple, emphatic point with the phrase "full stop" sounds somehow more intelligent than ending it with the word "period", even though they mean exactly the same thing both idiomatically and literally.

I caught myself using the longer term to explain my change to a Wikipedia page last night. The page sees a fair amount of daily activity and I am rather surprised that it hasn't been reverted yet (even though I think my change is justified). I wonder if the "full stop" has tricked people into thinking I am British and therefore superhumanly correct.

well,

[identity profile] meerkitty.livejournal.com 2006-03-25 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
my dear lad,

you are often superhumanly correct. this is sadly not related to being british. i encourage you, however, to perpetuate this perception. it gives me super powers when i am not wearing any clothes because i come from the Picts, on one side anyway.

period has more denotations than full stop therefore i would be in favor of using the latter, but that probably could be restricted by context in any event.