From UPI.com:
A Michigan company announced the release of software Tuesday that introduces new punctuation to the typed word: The sarcasm mark.
Sarcasm Inc. of Washington Township said the SarcMark, which resembles an open circle with a dot in the center, can be installed on computers via a program that can be downloaded from sarcmark.com for $1.99.
The company said it has versions of the program for several computer systems as well as BlackBerry devices.
"Statements have the period. Questions have the question mark. Exclamations have the exclamation mark. When you see the newest punctuation mark for sarcasm, you'll know the writer of that sentence doesn't literally mean what they're writing; they're being sarcastic," the company said in a release.
COMMENTS
They say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, and I think the SarcMark commercial (below) does nothing to dispel that idea. What about a punctuation mark to show when you're being ironic? Now that would be useful. You could call it the IronMark. I suggest using this symbol ¤ (It's on the $/£ key on my computer. I never knew what it was for.) Perhaps I should patent that ¤.
SEE ALSO
• The rules of sarcasm (BBC News)
• How Sarcasm Works (howstuffworks)
• Do we really need a sarcasm mark? (TimesOnline School Gate)
• The Irony Mark (While You Were Gone, Daily)
• Sarcasm punctuation mark aims to put an end to email confusion (Daily Telegraph)
• Sarcasm punctuation mark? Who needs it ;-) (Daily Telegraph)
• Sarcasm punctuation most revolutionary mark since the smiley (ZDNet)
• The rise of the SarcMark—oh, how brilliant (The Guardian)
POSTSCRIPT
It seems the irony mark already exists.
