Punctuation rule. The meaning of punctuation in Russian. What does punctuation study? Punctuation marks in Russian

Everything that is printed in this book, like everything that is printed and written in general, is text. Texts are made up of letters. But to understand the texts, letters alone are not enough. So that the letters (and the words formed from them) do not merge into a continuous, impenetrable spot, the text must be divided and connections between its elements and parts established. For this, margins, line spacing, indentation, capital (capital) letters and other means are used. All these methods and techniques of text organization are so familiar to us that we simply do not notice them, and therefore cannot appreciate them.

Chains of letters in lines are divided into separate word links using gaps. Without these separators, when reading, we would have to stumble all the time in search of boundaries between words. In such a text, we would feel like we are in a dense, dark forest, where trees stand like a wall, where there are no roads or paths, and only a person who knows it well can walk confidently. Just like that - no gaps! - there were texts in Ancient Russia. True, then they wrote diligently, in large clear letters (charter), and the written language was different - with chains of short sentences, and there were relatively few texts. Yet their reading was slow and difficult. To facilitate it, it was necessary first of all to mark the boundaries of sentences and their individual parts. So there was dot- the first and main division of the text, and with it space as a place for a dot. With the development in the XIV century. cursive writing, fast continuous writing, when reading became more difficult again, words began to be separated by a space. The texts brightened like a thinned forest. It was possible to see further in them, it became easier to read them, which means that it was faster to get to the goal - a complete and accurate understanding.

But life went on, knowledge of the world became more and more profound. The written language became more complex, especially the syntax and its basic unit - the sentence, which was supposed to reflect all the depth, all the turns and shades of thought. Two characters - a space and a dot - were no longer enough to guide reading. Separated by empty spaces, the texts began to break up into separate words. In such a text "forest" it was light and spacious, but there were no traffic signs and reliable landmarks. They became necessary, and they were created.

On the basis of the dot, signs such as comma, semicolon, colon and ellipsis. Came into use interrogative and Exclamation point and, dash, brackets and quotes. Mandatory at the beginning of a sentence capital letter , at the beginning of the paragraph - Red line.

So gradually by the end of the XVIII century. the main composition of non-alphabetic signs of Russian writing and printing was formed for the organization - division and connection - of the whole text and its parts. These signs are called punctuation marks or - from Latin name points "punctum" - punctuation marks. Each of them has its own history. They didn't get it right away. modern form and familiar names. Through the work of many generations of writers and readers, printers, typographers, writers, teachers and scientists for each sign, its functions, conditions and rules of use, connections and relationships with other signs were developed and defined.

Substantiated by science, approved and secured by the state ( "Rules of Russian spelling and punctuation", 1956), the rules of punctuation are uniform and obligatory for all. That is why they are taught in school. Owning them, the writer can express all, even the most subtle, shades of meaning, while the reader will be able to correctly understand it. Punctuation serves mutual understanding, and this is very important. Indeed, from the correct understanding of texts (from the text state law to the text of a private letter) a lot depends: the work of institutions, relations between people, their behavior, mood, health, and sometimes even life. How does punctuation serve this purpose? high purpose? How do punctuation marks work?

It turns out that they perform two important operations in the text - separation and selection. Separator characters work alone, highlighter characters work in pairs. Single punctuation marks divide the whole into parts, separate these parts from each other and mark the boundary between them. Paired, or double, punctuation marks distinguish one or another independent part from the whole and mark its boundaries on both sides.

But the boundary is different: there are boundaries between members of a sentence and there are boundaries of paragraphs; There are open and closed borders. different borders- different and border signs. Each sign tells us what semantic parts it divides or singles out, what semantic whole they enter, in what semantic relations they are, etc. So, Red line divides the text into paragraphs, marks their boundaries and marks the end of one semantic unity and the transition to another. Dot indicates the end of the sentence and at the same time indicates its semantic completeness (in contrast to the ellipsis - a sign of incompleteness or break). On the border of the parts of a complex sentence or on the border of the members of the sentence, a comma is distinguished - a sign of their equality in meaning (simultaneity, homogeneity, etc.) - and such signs of semantic inequality as colon and dash. Quotes allocate everything that the writer considers it necessary to designate as “foreign” (alien speech, quotations, etc.), and parentheses- everything that the writer relegates to the background and that the reader must comprehend as secondary, as an insert. Different signs - different meanings.

But there are more different meanings than signs that can express them. Therefore, some punctuation marks are forced to take on several semantic loads. Dash, for example, marks the boundaries of a sharp opposition, a quick change of events, a transition from enumeration to generalization, and much more. Loaded with different meanings and ellipsis. Such punctuation marks are like multi-valued words.

Other signs, like synonymous words, have the same meaning, but differ only in the strength of its expression and the conditions of use. Example punctuation synonyms- comma and semicolon. Sharing homogeneous members or homogeneous parts in complex sentences, they have the same meaning (homogeneity), but differ in strength and "weight". The semicolon is a "reinforced comma". It separates units of larger volume (more common) and more distant in meaning than those separated by a comma. That is why, when separating sentences, a semicolon turns out to be a synonym for a period. A semicolon is a “weak point” (it was not for nothing that it was once called a semicolon). It turns out a three-term amplifying synonymous series: comma - semicolon - period. There are other such lines.

Dividing and highlighting units of text, punctuation marks also connect them at the same time. They allow the writer to express, and the reader to correctly understand how the units of the text are related to each other, what is the nature, direction and boundaries of semantic connections. So, separator signs indicate the semantic relationship between the separated parts and, therefore, link them into a single semantic whole (“homogeneous members before a generalizing word”, “ unionless proposal with a causal relationship ", etc.). By separating some units, punctuation helps unite and unite others. This is how sentences are combined as part of a paragraph, simple sentences as part of complex ones, etc.

So, punctuation marks are signs of the boundaries of the semantic division of the text and the connection of its parts. To use them correctly, you need to master the rules of punctuation. Punctuation rules are the rules for the use of signs, depending on the meaning to be indicated, and those syntactic conditions that develop in the text at its boundaries. Meaning, boundary conditions, and punctuation marks are the three components of any punctuation task. The reader is given punctuation marks and conditions. According to these two data, using the rules of punctuation, he finds what he is looking for - the meaning. The writer is given meaning and conditions. According to these two data, using the rules of punctuation, he finds what he is looking for - punctuation marks. Punctuation rules allow the writer to answer two questions: is a sign needed on a given boundary, and if so, what kind? Answering the first question, we make a choice between a punctuation mark and an empty space. In answering the second question, we choose between different signs. Some rules order: "Put such and such a sign!" Others forbid: "No signs." Still others recommend: "Choose from several possible."

Spelling speaks the same language to us. But she is much tougher. She does not allow choice. Spelling says: "Check and write such and such a letter." Or: “If not checked, remember! If you forgot, check spelling dictionary!" There is no punctuation dictionary, it is impossible and not needed. Like the rules traffic, punctuation rules cannot describe every specific case. They provide for typical conditions that can occur in countless cases, in countless texts, and allow writers to find the only possible or best possible solution.

The culture of speech has always been determined by its correctness. The very first step is knowledge of the principles of the Russian language.

Norms of the Russian language

Norma (derived from the Latin norma - literally "square", figurative meaning- "rule") - generally accepted mandatory order. All sections of the language are managed in a certain way. The modern Russian language is guided different rules. These are spelling and punctuation rules. They are orthoepic (phonetic) and phraseological, morphological and syntactic, stylistic.

For example, spelling norms regulate the choice of graphic spelling of a word. Punctuation determines the choice of punctuation marks, as well as their placement in the text.

Punctuation norms

A punctuation norm is a rule that indicates the use or non-use of certain punctuation marks when writing. The study of punctuation norms determines the possession literary language. These principles determine the culture of speech as a whole. Correct Application punctuation should ensure comprehension writing person with the reader of the written text.

The use of punctuation marks is enshrined in the rules. The punctuation norm regulates the choice of options for constructing sentences. It also controls the speech of the speaker. True, the assessment of "true - false" in relation to the punctuation norm largely depends on the subject. Russian punctuation is extremely flexible.

Meaning of punctuation

The Russian language is not in vain called great and powerful. But it is not fixed and unchanging. Russian speech is saturated with neologisms and words that came from other languages. Similarly, punctuation norms are adopted in an attempt to reflect the process of integration. But we should never forget about respect for the language as a heritage honed by the age-old history of our people.

There are only 10 punctuation marks. But in writing they help to express all the variety of shades of meaning oral speech. The same sign can be used in different occasions. And at the same time play a different role. 20 chapters outline the main patterns of punctuation, which are studied at school. All rules are illustrated with illustrative examples. Give them Special attention. Remember the example - you will avoid mistakes.

• Introduction: What is punctuation?

  §one. The meaning of the term punctuation
  §2. What punctuation marks are used in writing in Russian?
  §3. What role do punctuation marks play?

• Chapter 1 Period, question mark, exclamation point. ellipsis

  Period, question and exclamation marks
  Ellipsis at the end of a sentence

• Chapter 2 Comma, semicolon

  §one. Comma
  §2. Semicolon

• Chapter 3 Colon

  Why is a colon needed?
  Colon in a simple sentence
  colon in complex sentence and

• Chapter 4 Dash

  §one. Dash
  §2. double dash

• Chapter 5. Double signs. Quotes. Parentheses

  §one. Quotes
  §2. Parentheses

• Chapter 6. Punctuation of a simple sentence. Dash between subject and verb

  A dash is put
  Dash is not put

• Chapter 7 Punctuation marks with homogeneous members

  §one. Punctuation marks for homogeneous members without a generalizing word
  §2. Punctuation marks for homogeneous members with a generalizing word

• Chapter 8

  §one. Separation of agreed definitions
  §2. Separation of inconsistent definitions
  §3. Application isolation

• Chapter 9

  Circumstances stand apart
  Circumstances are not separate

• Chapter 10

  §one. Clarification
  §2. Explanation

• Chapter 11

  §one. Introductory sentences
  §2. Offers with introductory sentences
  §3. Offers with plug-in structures

• Chapter 12

  Appeals and their punctuation in written speech

• Chapter 13

  §one. Comma separation of comparative turns
  §2. Turnovers with a union as: comparative and non-comparative

• Chapter 14

  §one. Punctuation design of direct speech, accompanied by the words of the author
  §2. Puncture design of the dialogue

What is Punctuation?

Punctuation- this (Late Latin punctuatio, from Latin punctum - point)

1. Collection of rules for punctuation marks. Russian punctuation.

2. Arrangement of punctuation marks in the text. Wrong punctuation. Features of punctuation in the works of M. Gorky.

3. Same as punctuation marks. Punctuation marks.

In the history of Russian punctuation, on the issue of its foundations and purpose, there are three main areas: logical, syntactic and intonation.

The theorist of the logical, or semantic, direction was F.I. Buslaev. Based on the position that “for greater clarity and definiteness in the presentation of thoughts in writing, it is customary to separate words and whole sentences with punctuation marks (i.e., stop signs)”, Buslaev formulated his understanding of the purpose of punctuation:

“Since through language one person conveys his thoughts and feelings to another, punctuation marks also have a dual purpose; 1) contribute to clarity in the presentation of thoughts, separating one sentence from another or one part of it from another, and 2) express the sensations of the speaker's face and his attitude towards the listener. The first requirement is satisfied by: comma (,), semicolon (;), colon (:) and period (.); to the second - signs: exclamatory (!) And interrogative (?), ellipsis (...) and dash (-) and abrupt In our era, the semantic understanding of the foundations of Russian punctuation (German punctuation is close to it, but French and English punctuation diverges from it) found its expression in the works of S. I. Abakumov and A. B. Shapiro. The first of them notes that “the main purpose of punctuation is to indicate the division of speech into parts that are important for expressing thoughts when writing. Although, as S. I. Abakumov points out further, “the use of most punctuation marks in Russian writing is regulated primarily grammatical (syntactic) rules”, he, however, believes that “the rules are still based on the meaning of the statement

A. B. Shapiro finds that “the main role of punctuation is the designation of those semantic relationships and shades that, being important for understanding a written text, cannot be expressed by lexical and syntactic means

The syntactic direction in the theory of punctuation, which has become widespread in the practice of its teaching, proceeds from the fact that punctuation marks are designed primarily to make the syntactic structure of speech visual, to highlight individual sentences and their parts. One of the most prominent representatives of this trend, J.K. Grot, believed that through the main punctuation marks (periods, semicolons, colons and commas), “an indication of a greater or lesser connection between sentences, and partly between members of sentences”, which serves “ to make it easier for the reader to understand written speech. Regarding the question and exclamation marks, Grot indicates that they serve “to show the tone of speech. Representatives of the intonation theory believe that punctuation marks serve “to indicate the rhythm and melody of a phrase, otherwise phrase intonation” (L.V. Shcherba), that they reflect “in the vast majority of cases, not the grammatical, but the declamatory-psychological division of speech” (A. M. Peshkovskii), that they are needed “to convey the melody of speech, its tempo and pauses” ( L. A. Bulakhovsky).

Despite the significant divergence of views of representatives of different directions, they have in common the recognition of the communicative function of punctuation, which is an important tool writing arrangements. Punctuation marks indicate the semantic articulation of speech. Thus, the dot indicates the completeness of the sentence in the understanding of the writer;

putting commas between homogeneous members the sentence shows the syntactic equality of the elements of the sentence expressing equal concepts, etc.

To a large extent, our punctuation system is built on a syntactic basis (cf. the formulations of most of the punctuation rules). This does not mean at all that punctuation copies the structure of the sentence, obeying it: the latter is itself determined by the meaning of the statement, therefore the starting point for the structure of the sentence and for the choice of punctuation marks is the semantic aspect of speech. Wed cases of punctuation that are not related to syntactic rules, for example, the setting of the so-called intonational dash:

1) Walk for a long time - could not; 2) Walking is not mine for a long time. This example shows that our punctuation is also related to intonation. However, even in this case there is no direct dependence of the first on the second: both serve as means of expressing grammatical-semantic relations. between the elements of the statement (intonation performs this function in oral speech, and punctuation - in written speech). Often there is a discrepancy between punctuation and intonation (rhythm melodics). So, in the proposal Pink women's dress flashed in the dark green (Turgenev) the pause between the composition of the subject and the composition of the predicate (after the word dress) is not indicated in the letter by any punctuation mark. On the other hand, in the sentence Under his arm, the boy carried some kind of bundle and, turning towards the pier, began to descend along a narrow and steep path (Lermontov) after the union and a pause is not made, but in accordance with existing rule a comma is placed here (in passing, it can be noted that a pause in this sentence is made before the union and, but it is not marked with a punctuation mark).

Pointing to the articulation of speech, punctuation marks at the same time serve as a means of identifying various semantic shades inherent in separate parts written text. Yes, staging question mark at the end of a sentence, it indicates not only the articulation of speech, but also the interrogative nature of the sentence, its special type for the purpose of the statement; the exclamation point simultaneously indicates the completeness of the sentence and its emotional character, etc. In some cases, punctuation marks are the main or only means of identifying semantic relationships that cannot be expressed in a written text by grammatical and lexical means. Wed setting a comma, a dash and a colon in the same non-union complex sentence: The youth left, it became boring at the evening (the sequence of phenomena is indicated); The youth left - the evening became boring (the second part indicates the consequence, the result of the action indicated in the first part);

The youth left: the evening became boring (cause-and-effect relationships are revealed with an indication of the reason in the second part). Wed also the setting or, the absence of commas in sentences in which introductory words and the members of the sentence are lexically the same: The doctor may be in his office.- The doctor may be in his office. Appropriate punctuation makes it possible to understand the role of definitions preceding the noun being defined: puffs of thick, black smoke (definitions are homogeneous) - puffs of thick black smoke (definitions are heterogeneous).

The Russian punctuation system is highly flexible: along with mandatory rules, it contains indications that are not strictly normative in nature and allow various punctuation options associated not only with semantic shades, but also with stylistic features written text.

Punctuation is one of the sections of grammar that systematizes the rules for punctuation in written speech, as well as the signs themselves. Scientists cannot come to an unambiguous decision as to who exactly, however, it is known that in an unsystematized form punctuation marks (or rather one character - a dot) were found in ancient Greek. The dot was used to separate one from the other, obeying the rules of oratory.

The syntactic theory proceeds from the fact that the placement of punctuation marks depends entirely on the rules. However, adherents of this theory admit that these rules are based on conveying the meaning of the statement as accurately as possible.

Finally, representatives of the intonation theory of punctuation stand on the fact that the division of written speech by punctuation marks is carried out in order to convey the rhythmic and declamatory division of the text. This means that the punctuation rules are designed in such a way as to make it easier to read the text aloud.

In addition to the mandatory rules for the use of punctuation marks, there are so-called copyright signs, using which writers try to convey additional emotions.

All researchers agree that punctuation is one of the most important sciences, which greatly simplifies the process of written communication. The correct use of punctuation marks allows the reader to receive not only factual information in a convenient form, but also to perceive the emotional component of the text, which is especially important for journalism and. Punctuation can turn incomprehensible text into interesting reading, conveying all shades of meaning, so you should not neglect the rules of punctuation.