5 sentences with author's punctuation marks. Start in science. The purpose of teaching discipline

On the one hand, this term refers to the features of the punctuation design of texts that are of an individual nature, inherent in a particular writer (a set of signs used by him, the predominant use of one of them, the expansion of the functions of this sign), in general, do not contradict the rules adopted in this period.

On the other hand, this term is interpreted as a deliberate deviation from the current norms of punctuation and a special use of punctuation marks in literary texts. Indeed, in printed and handwritten texts, punctuation is often found that does not fall under the accepted rules, but is justified by the style, genre, and context of the work.

It is difficult to draw a clear line between these two concepts, and it seems possible to consider the author's punctuation in both aspects.

So, A. I. Efimov analyzed the widespread use by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin of such a relatively rare punctuation mark as brackets (in the "Rules of Russian Spelling and Punctuation" only four cases of their use are given). For the satirist writer, brackets were one of the most effective means of creating expressiveness, they were used by him not so much for grammatical purposes as for expressive and stylistic purposes: they contained figurative equivalents, word synonyms, "Aesopian" catchphrases, professionalisms, clarified outdated vocabulary, comments were given on names and surnames, phraseological parallelisms commenting on indications of sources of phraseology, periphrastic expressions were revealed, they served as interlinear satirical language, framed polemical attacks, included witticisms, anecdotes, remarks of a service-grammatical nature, etc. (according to Efimov’s calculations, brackets at Saltykov-Shchedrin performed up to forty functions).

F. T. Grishko refers to the author's punctuation the wide and peculiar use of the ellipsis in the works of L. Leonov: as an indicator of a pause, as a signal of a connecting connection, as a way to move from direct or improperly direct speech to the words of the author, as a replacement for a paragraph when moving from the initial , as if the key phrase to the subsequent detailed presentation, etc.

E. A. Ivanchikova argues that “in the system of intonation-syntactic figurative means that characterize Dostoevsky’s writing style, the technique of using the dash sign after the union and certainly occupies its own place. Among the examples she cites are: "I didn't hear anything," said Velchaninov, and turned pale; He went out and - finished the job; In a word, I foresee the onset of a new period of life and - I'm worried; A thousand prejudices and logical thoughts and - no thoughts!; The main thing is that Mr. Versilov got excited and - unnecessarily hurried ...; Mechanically he went to the window to open it and breathe in the night air, and- in my friend shuddered...

M. Gorky’s “addiction” to the dash is well known: it occurs between the subject and the verb predicate, after a composing union with homogeneous members of a sentence, after generalizing words before listing homogeneous members, between homogeneous and heterogeneous members, before a comparative union and in other cases in which a punctuation mark is usually or not put at all, or another mark is put. For example : Lying down is worse. Lie down - means - surrendered; It's like a fistfight; And - I want to talk; Eccentric! How not to be afraid? And - gentlemen, and - God ?; Do you believe in lovers? A bottle of beer? - So it's not possible?(remarks refer to different persons); People - won; Man - knows how to work!; Sunset - went out; Alyoshka knew(in the last examples, the division of the sentence enhances the meaning of both main members, as if opposing them to each other); He had such a fat, raw face, and his belly was like a big pillow.(before comparative conjunction); “So you yourself must understand that the earth is dust!” - “Dust, and - a silk cassock is on you. Ashes, and - a gilded cross! Dust - but you are greedy ”; Money - disappear, work - remains; Some - fight, others - steal(symmetric dash); All this is nonsense, - dreams, - nonsense!; Leave me alone, - it will be, - drop it!; The people are coming, - red flags, - a lot of people, - countless, - of different ranks ...(in the last examples, a comma and a dash to express gradation).

The semantic, syntactic, intonational functions of the dash, the graphic expressiveness of this sign have gained him popularity among other writers, in whose works there is also an individual author's, free, unregulated use of the dash.

Wed in fiction and in the letters of I. S. Turgenev: And it smells of smoke and grass - and a little tar - and a little skin; And he certainly died before me, while still young; but years passed - and I forgot about his promise - about his threat; A tall, bony old woman with an iron face and a motionless, dull look - she walks with long steps - and with a dry hand, like a stick, pushes another woman in front of her; I have never printed a single line in my life in a language other than Russian; otherwise I would not be an artist - but - simply - rubbish. ... I promise you one thing that I hope you like - what is- n I’ll tell you - you’ll see - but you will receive it, maybe in a month.

The well-known poem in prose "Russian language" has the following punctuation:

In days of doubt, in days of painful reflections on the fate of my homeland, you alone are my support and support, O great, powerful, truthful and free Russian language! Without you - how not to fall into despair at the sight of everything that happens at home? But one cannot believe that such a language was not given to a great people!

The dash with its ability to express the rhythmic melody of speech is widely used by F.I. Tyutchev. Sometimes it is used by the poet as a final sign:

The feast is over - the choirs fell silent -
Empty amphoras -
Overturned baskets -
Not drunk in cups of wine -
Wreaths are crumpled on the heads -
Only aromas smoke
In the empty bright room...

Examples of the author's use of the dash by A. N. Tolstoy: Yes- in from something - come back yourself, but at a trot, hear ...; And you - look - for such words ...; Dyaku - give, clerk - give, junior clerk - give(symmetrical dash).

N. S. Valgina writes about the active use of the dash in the poetry of A. A. Blok. Here is an example of the use of a dash for concise, sharp and contrasting expression of thoughts:

And now - She, and to her - my Hosanna -
The crown of works is above all awards.
I was the one who kept and warmed the candles here.
One - the prophet - trembled in the smoke of the censer.
And on One Day - one participant of the Meeting.
I did not share these meetings with anyone.
Rhythm melodic dash:
High above us - above the waves -
Like a dawn over black rocks -
The banner is flying - the International!
Dash in verses of special rhythm:
And she doesn't hear
Hearing, not looking
T ihaya - does not breathe,
White - silent ...

Dash as a reflection of hard pauses:

... Bares his teeth - the wolf is hungry -
The tail is tucked in - does not lag behind -
The dog is cold - the dog is rootless ...

V. V. Mayakovsky uses a dash to convey jerky, broken speech: “The bourgeoisie has erected into a poetic cult - a petty sentimental love - a harmonious landscape - a portrait of the noblest representatives of the class. Accordingly, her words- n gentle - polite - noble.

About the role of the dash in M. I. Tsvetaeva for the semantic highlighting of the last word of the line, for creating a special rhythmic melody of the verse, N. S. Valgina also writes in the article cited above and gives the following example:

The July wind sweeps me - the way,
And somewhere the music in the window - a little.
Oh, now the wind until dawn - blow
Through the walls of thin breasts - into the chest.
There is a black poplar, and there is light in the window,
And the ringing on the tower, and in the hand - the color,
And this step - to no one - after,
And this shadow is here, but not me.

An example of a chased syllable by M. Tsvetaeva, reflected in writing with a dash:

Far - in the night - on the asphalt - a cane,
Doors wide open - into the night - under the blow of the wind.
- Come in! - come! - unwanted guest
Into my bright rest.

Some authors highlight insert sentences simultaneously with brackets and dashes (in a different sequence): I am very sorry to you both, especially to you, Marianne, for causing you such grief - (I know, Marianna, you will grieve) - and causing you so much anxiety(T.); It was necessary to go down the knocked down, worn steps (- young nettle grew from stone cracks -) to go down to the basement(Leon.).

One could give other examples of the individual author's use of the dash sign in works of fiction (for example, A. N. Tolstoy puts three dashes in a row), the use that helps to reveal the creative manner of the writer. Compare, for example, punctuation to show curt speech: Putting his hands on his hips, Richard leaned to the right, to the left, saying: "To - the question - about - some - data - observations - thunderstorms - Tula region - in the second half of the nineteenth century"(Gran.).

In any case, it is appropriate to recall the advice of A.P. Chekhov to one writer: "... use less italics and dashes - this is mannered."

There are also other cases of author's punctuation: complete or partial rejection of punctuation marks as a satirical device, or reflection of foreign language punctuation features in translated texts, or, conversely, text overload with punctuation marks: I have an idea! Fall at my feet, so be it, have mercy! I! I take! You! I enroll! TO! Yourself! AT! Group! Here!(Gran.); I miss. Without. You. My. Expensive. (This is my new style - I like to cut phrases, it's fashionable and in the spirit of the times.)(Yu. S.).

This section could be ended with the words: “It should be firmly known that the author of a work of art, no matter how peculiar his subject matter, no matter how individual his linguistic style, no matter how original his artistic style, cannot in any way to deviate far from the punctuation system adopted in this writing.

But in order not to draw an incorrect conclusion from these words about the negative attitude towards the author's punctuation, we add two statements by a prominent researcher in the field of Russian spelling V. I. Chernyshev.

First: “With some attention to the handwritten text of I. S. Turgenev, the peculiar merits of his punctuation become apparent and the author’s desire to get out of the solid, but inexpressive framework of its usual use and adapt punctuation marks to a more accurate expression of thought and a more natural division of speech is understandable. Turgenev's system of using dots was especially successful. He uses three types of dots in the manuscript of Prose Poems: 1) two adjacent dots (..), 2) three dots (...) and 3) four dots (....). This use of ellipsis is, so to speak, a parallel to the signs we use for different degrees of separation of speech: comma, semicolon and full stop. (One could point out in passing that F. I. Tyutchev has up to fifteen dots in the dots.) Second: “... G. I. Uspensky had“ his own ” punctuation, not syntactic, which is accepted by us, but showing articulation of speech in its live pronunciation. The writer did not deal with dead graphic signs in the process of presentation: he seemed to hear, he produced and depicted living speech with its natural pauses.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus

municipal budgetary educational institution

Lyceum No. 94 of the Soviet district of the city of Ufa, Republic of Belarus

Completed by: Muftahova Leah,

8th grade student

Scientific adviser: Yagudina Alla Gennadievna,

teacher of Russian language and literature

Ufa, 2014

Introduction

The punctuation system that exists in Russian is clearly organized and based on strict principles. It is the mechanism by which communication is carried out between the reader and the writer. The structure, meaning and intonation of the statement dictate the setting of the necessary punctuation mark. Artists of the word also follow the established norms, however, the aesthetic predestination of a poetic text can change the semantic volume, violate the intonation and place of the sign.

Along with punctuation regulated by rules, there is unregulated punctuation. The latter represents a variety of deviations from the general norms. Deviations in the use of punctuation marks can be caused by various reasons, including the originality of the author's writing style. In general, unregulated punctuation combines various phenomena, among which the author's punctuation itself stands out, i.e. directly related to the personality of the writer.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov stands out among other great Russian writers with his unique individual appearance, his artistic style.

RelevanceThe study is determined by the importance of the functional purpose of punctuation marks in a literary text, which are a unique means of expressing the writer's thoughts and feelings.

The subject of this studybecame dramatic and epic works of A.P. Chekhov.

Object of studybecame the punctuation system of works, normative and individual author's use of it in texts, structural and intonational originality of punctuation marks.

Objective- the study of the aesthetic functions of punctuation marks on the material of some works of A.P. Chekhov.

Its solution was determined by the sumspecific tasks:

find out the purpose of punctuation in a literary text;

establish the interaction of grammatical, semantic and intonational principles in the functioning of certain signs;

designate the aesthetic functions of punctuation marks in the author's text;

to explore the contextual dependence of the individual author's use of punctuation marks in characterizing the image of the poet's world.

Chapter 1. Punctuation and its functions

The punctuation system is one of the most important systems of the language. Punctuation is a collection of punctuation rules, as well as the system of punctuation marks used in written speech. The main purpose of punctuation is to indicate the semantic articulation of speech. At the same time, punctuation marks serve to identify various semantic shades inherent in individual parts of a written text. Punctuation marks are the main or only means of identifying semantic relationships in a written text that cannot be expressed using grammatical and lexical means. Forming together with the letters a common graphic system of the language, punctuation marks perform special functions in it.

The Russian punctuation system is highly flexible: along with mandatory rules, it contains indications that are not strictly normative in nature and allow punctuation options necessary to express the semantic shades and stylistic features of the written text.

It should also be noted the "polysemy" of most punctuation marks. Even such signs as interrogative and exclamatory are used not only at the end of a sentence to indicate its completeness and interrogative or exclamatory nature, but also in the middle of a sentence (albeit very rarely) after each homogeneous member, if you need to show the dissection of the question or the emotional discontinuity of speech .

In the modern punctuation system of the Russian language, punctuation marks are functionally significant: they have generalized meanings assigned to them, fixing the patterns of their use. The functional significance of signs guarantees their reproducibility in similar semantic and grammatical conditions, their recognition when reading the text, understanding of its meaning, i.e. provides a manifestation of the social essence of punctuation.

According to their general functions, first of all, separating signs (period; question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, ellipsis) and highlighting (two commas, two dashes, brackets, quotation marks) are distinguished. The function of a punctuation mark is also performed by a paragraph - writing from a new line.

The general functions of punctuation marks, as well as more particular ones, implemented in the semantic and grammatical conditions of specific texts, create the basis for the individual use of punctuation system signs. Such signs are associated with the author's comprehension of what is written, they usually convey the emotional structure of speech and are included in the concept of the "writer's style" (we will return to this in Chapter 2). The punctuation of the outstanding masters of the artistic word is evidence of the richness of its stylistic possibilities.

1.1. Punctuation marks in fiction as a way of expressing the author's thought

The author's punctuation, according to many researchers, is understood as a deliberate deviation from the principles and rules"official" punctuation, pursuing certain artistic and justified goals.

punctuation mark Czech punctuation

However, speaking about the individuality, uniqueness of the author's signs of a particular artist of the word, we understand that there are general principles and functions of the author's punctuation. At the same time, the most significant and productive function of copyright marks is the semantic emphasis and strengthening of the text component. In addition, the copyright mark is used by authors to:

detailing the planned rhythmic-intonation structure of a particular fragment of the text, which, in turn, either emphasizes the meaning or conveys the author's emotional attitude to what is being said;

indications of the correct reproduction of the text intended by the author - reading, pronunciation; this function is especially significant in dramaturgy: the sign, as it were, prescribes to the reader and performer the only correct pronunciation of the phrase; this function of the copyright mark is called note.

Different kinds of works of art use one or another function of the author's sign: for prose - semantic emphasis, for poetry - a rhythmic-melodic function, for dramaturgy - a note function. The above functions can be implemented together within the same work.

A.K. Efimova points out that in a work of art the primary role is played by those signs " with the help of which excitement is conveyed, sharp changes in intonation, a different nature and meaning of a pause, in a word, the whole range of raising, lowering the voice and rhythmic-melodic modifications of speech.

Scholars like A.B. Shapiro, A.I. Efimova, I.A. Figurovsky, V.I. Kodukhov, N .S. Valgin state that in various works of art, signs are also used that serve as an expression of the expressive and stylistic originality of speech.

Speaking about the definition of the concept of "author's punctuation marks", N.S. Valgina points out that "only signs that perform stylistic functions can be recognized as copyright", they are "totally connected with the individuality of the writer", caused "not so much by the requirements of the context (when the signs are subject to the content side of it), but by the author's pronounced predilection for certain techniques" . "These signs serve to create expression: they either convey dynamism to the speech flow, or, conversely, the smoothness of its flow, the rapid sharpness or lyricism of sound, i.e. they carry a purely stylistic intonation and are entirely part of the artistic text."

Some scholars talk about the neighborhood of the concept of "author's" mark with the concepts of "optional mark" and "variable mark". However, you should not confuse these concepts, they are brought together only by optionality. A.N. Naumovich points out: "The optional punctuation is not regulated by clear unambiguous rules, but varies (the punctuation mark may or may not be placed) depending on the communicative task or emotionally expressive and stylistic coloring."

Thus, the author's punctuation is a punctuation system that is not provided for by the rules, which has its own well-defined figurative and expressive functions in various types and genres of a literary text. At the same time, the author's punctuation is a purely subjective phenomenon with specific techniques characteristic of a particular author.

Chapter 2. Author's punctuation in comparison with modern norms of the Russian language

The term "author's punctuation" has two meanings. The first is related to the designation of all the characters in the author's manuscript, i.e. literally put by the hand of the author (this includes both regulated and non-regulated punctuation); this use of the term is typical for publishing workers who are involved in the preparation of the manuscript for publication. The second, broader meaning of the term is associated with the idea of unregulated punctuation, not fixed by rules, i.e. representing a variety of deviations from the general norms. It is this understanding of the term that requires clarification, since not all deviations can be included in the category of copyright.

Irregularity of punctuation can be caused by various reasons, and it is not always associated with the manifestation of the author's individuality. Of course, the author's punctuation marks are included in the concept of unregulated punctuation, but this is its special case. In general, unregulated punctuation (naturally, erroneous punctuation is not taken into account) combines various phenomena, the awareness of which allows us to isolate the author's punctuation itself, i.e. directly related to the personality of the writer.

1. In punctuation (as, indeed, in language), along with general norms that have the highest degree of stability, there are situational norms adapted to the functional qualities of a particular type of text. The former are included in the mandatory minimum punctuation. The second, not so rigid, provide special information content and expressiveness of speech. Situational norms are dictated by the nature of textual information: punctuation marks subject to such a norm perform the functions of logical and semantic (manifested in different texts, but especially in scientific and official business), accentuated (mainly in official texts, partly in journalistic and artistic texts) , expressive-emotional (in fiction and journalistic texts), signal (in advertising texts). Signs subject to the situational norm cannot be classified as authorial, since they are not dictated by the will of the writer, but reflect the general stylistic properties of functionally different texts. Such signs are regulated by the nature of these texts and exist along with the generally accepted ones.

2. Modern punctuation is the result of the historical development of the Russian punctuation system. Since punctuation serves a constantly changing and evolving language, it is also historically changeable. That is why in each period there may be changes in the functions of punctuation marks, in the conditions of their use. In this sense, the rules always lag behind practice and therefore need to be revised from time to time. Changes in the functioning of signs occur constantly, they reflect the life of the language, in particular its syntactic structure and stylistic system.

For example, recently a dash (in place of a colon) has been used more and more often between parts of a non-union complex sentence when indicating an explanation, a reason in the second part, with generalizing words before listing homogeneous members, etc.: There is no empty space under a spreading crown - travelers are resting , shepherds, a life-giving spring nearby (gaz.); ... The game is worth the candle - after all, such communication should become a prototype of future youth houses of an engineer and houses of a scientist (gaz.); Thousands of machine operators arrived here - from Russia, from Ukraine, from the Baltic states (gaz.).

We can find a similar use of punctuation marks among writers and poets: Blok had everything that creates a great poet - fire, tenderness, penetration, his own image of the world, his gift of a special, everything-transforming touch, his own restrained, hiding, absorbed fate ( past.); But it was pointless to call in artillery fire now - the fire would have covered our scouts as well (Bond.); The editor-in-chief of the newspaper now avoids meeting with me in every possible way, it is impossible to get through to him, the secretary keeps referring to his employment - either he has a meeting, then a planning meeting, then he was summoned to higher authorities, as she likes to emphasize (Aitm.). Such deviations from the rules express general modern trends in the development of punctuation and gradually prepare the ground for changing or clarifying the rules themselves. They have nothing to do with individual author's punctuation.

3. More related to the individuality of the writer are punctuation marks, chosen depending on the specific tasks of the utterance, signs that show the semantic principle of punctuation. Such signs are contextually conditioned, subject to the tasks of the author's choice. And here, after all, "authorship" lies only in the possibility of choice, the choice is dictated by the displayed speech situation. And therefore, different authors, if necessary, to convey the same situation can use this option. The situation itself, and not the punctuation mark, may turn out to be meaningful individually. These are signs dictated by the conditions of the context, the laws of its semantic structure, i.e. the presence or absence of a sign is determined by the similarity or difference in the comprehension of the text, often even by the lexical content of the statement, and not by the originality of the choice of the sign as such. Different authors can find similar situations in the texts: Everything on it was smoothed out, smartly. Crooked - also from his father - legs drove him to despair (Kav.): The stove once cracked, it was smeared with clay (Bun.); But one day, whether by accident or on purpose, leaving the trench dugout, Stepan dropped an embroidered duck (Shol.); And because he listened so willingly and joyfully, they told - with joy too - new stories (Shuksh.). This similarity is fixed by punctuation marks, although the signs themselves in these contextual conditions do not obey the accepted rules and norms. Such contextually determined signs cannot be considered individually authorial.

4. There is one more scope of non-regulated punctuation. This is the punctuation of colloquial speech. Imitation of colloquial speech in written speech leads to the articulation of the text based on live pronunciation, with numerous pauses. The discontinuity of speech, and often its difficulty, is conveyed by dots, dashes, and their choice is dictated not by the structure of the sentence, but by the purely intonation side of the speech: To begin with ... such ... formal questions (Shuksh.); How long has it been ... entered the turn? (Spread). Such punctuation cannot be considered the author's, since there is no individual use of punctuation marks here: only the intermittent nature of living speech is conveyed. In general, such signs are stipulated in the "Rules of Russian Spelling and Punctuation".

5. The author's punctuation marks in the true sense of the word are not bound by strict rules of arrangement and entirely depend on the will of the writer, embodying the individual feeling of their necessity. Such signs are included in the concept of the author's syllable, they acquire stylistic significance.

However, even such author's punctuation, due to the fact that it is designed for perception and understanding, is predictable, since it does not lose its own functional significance. Its difference from regulated punctuation lies in the fact that it is deeper and more subtle connected with the meaning, with the style of a particular text. Separate punctuation marks of the author's punctuation, as well as, for example, lexical and syntactic means of the language, are capable, along with their main meaning, of having additional, stylistically significant meanings. Individual punctuation is justified only on such a condition that, with all the richness and variety of shades of meaning in punctuation, its social essence is not lost, its foundations are not destroyed.

This condition helps to establish some general patterns of manifestation of "authorship" in punctuation. For example, the appearance of a punctuation mark in such syntactic conditions, where it is not regulated, can be considered individual: Are fairies always beautiful? (M. G.); There - a skinny willow bare bush (Bl.); Here - we are sitting with you on the moss (Bl.); I am powerful and great in divination, but I can’t follow you (Bl.) I’m tired, I’ll go to my place (M. G.). So, B. Pasternak has a desire to divide the subject and the predicate in a rather peculiar way: instead of the more usual dash, ellipsis is used. It seems to combine the function of a dividing dash and the ellipsis itself, conveying something unsaid, indefinite, “thoughtful”: Twilight ... like squires of roses, on which are their spears and scarves. Or:

Colorless rain... like a dying patrician,

Whose heart darkened in the gift of stories...

Yes, the sun ... a song of drops without a name

And crying plates paid a hundredfold.

Ah, rain and sun... strange brethren!

One is in place and the other is out of place...

A dash not regulated by the rules occurs after unions, adverbial words: Death of the razula is worn out bast shoes, lay down on a stone and - fell asleep (M. G.); Whose songs? And sounds? What am I afraid of? Nagging sounds and - free Russia? (Bl.); Old, old dream. Out of the darkness, the lanterns run - where to? There is only black water, there is oblivion forever (Bl.).

The author's individuality can also manifest itself in strengthening the sign position. This method of increasing the expressive qualities of the text consists in replacing signs that are not strong enough with stronger ones in their dismembering function. For example, appeals, comparative turns, subordinate clauses of complex sentences, introductory words are usually distinguished (or separated) by commas. However, a dash is often replaced by a comma as a sign that is stronger in its significance: Like, a child, I am happy with myself (M. G.); And Stepan stands - exactly a formidable oak, Stepan turned white - right up to the very lips (Tsv.); His friend - do not disturb him! (Color); The cry of partings and meetings - you, the window in the night! Maybe - hundreds of candles, maybe - three candles ... (Color); I realized that I don’t love my spouse (Tsv.); It was a warm, quiet, gray day, among the birches a rare aspen tree turned yellow, and the distance of the meadows behind their transparent net turned blue a little noticeably - like a hint (Bun.).

The dismemberment of speech is also enhanced when replacing a comma with a dot. With a common meaning - fixing syntactically equivalent units of speech - these punctuation marks indicate a different degree of dismemberment. And if the period is intended for use at the interphrase level, then the comma performs similar functions within the sentence. Therefore, the point that has taken the position of a comma (in particular, when listing homogeneous members of a sentence) can be considered individually authorial. For example, A. Block has the following lines:

About the life that burned out in the choir

On your dark kliros.

About the Virgin with a secret in her bright eyes

Above the illuminated altar.

About languid girls at the door,

Where is eternal darkness and praise.

About distant Mary, bright Mary,

In whose eyes there is light, in whose braids there is darkness.

This poem, now printed without a title, had the title "Prayer" in the manuscript and in the first publications. Prefaced to the quoted lines, it explains the stringing of controlled word forms as enumerated homogeneous members of a sentence. Such a point, as we see, in addition to its main meaning, also has an additional one - emphasizing and emphasizing. This is what makes the punctuation mark stylistically significant, and the syntactic conditions for its use - individually chosen. The increment of meaning arises as a result of the transfer of a sign into syntactic constructions that are not typical for it. Thus, while the signs retain their basic functions and meanings, the novelty of their use is associated with additional meanings and manifests itself in the ability to see the possibilities of the sign.

Punctuation marks that convey the rhythm of the text, as well as its melody, the tempo - accelerated or slowed down, are perceived as certainly individual-author's. Such signs are not tied to syntactic structures and therefore cannot be typified in terms of the conditions for their use. Here one can find only an internal principle dictated by a specific text and subjectively chosen by the author. As a rule, the rhythmic-melodic organization of the text (mostly poetic) is emphasized by the dash, because it has the greatest separating "power", which is complemented by a visual effect: Two - we are dragging along the bazaar, both - in the ringing outfit of jesters (Bl.); My path does not lie past the house - yours. My path does not lie past the house - no one's (Tsv.).

The possibilities of individual use of dashes are especially noticeable in authors who are prone to conciseness of speech, stingy with verbal means of expression. For example, the text of M. Tsvetaeva, condensed to the limit, often contains only semantic guidelines, those key words that cannot be guessed, yet other elements of the statement are omitted, since in this case they do not carry the main idea:

Playground. - And sleepers. - And the last bush

In hand. - I'm letting go. - Late

Hold on. - Sleepers.

In B. Pasternak, the dash helps to reveal subtext in a concise verbal form:

Autumn. Get rid of lightning.

There are blind rains.

Autumn. The trains are full

Let pass! - It's all behind.

Consistently used pauses after the first word of the line are also characteristic of some of A. Akhmatova's poems. Pauses marked with dashes are almost always sharp and energetic:

This is a squeeze of insomnia.

This is a candle of crooked soot,

These are hundreds of white belfries

First strike of the morning...

The activation of the dash is directly related to the "saving" of speech means. But even with individualized use, the dash still retains its functional significance; one of its main meanings is the registration of the missing links of the utterance.

With a different organization of the text, explicitly presented speech means make it possible to do without punctuation marks at all (which can be considered as a special literary device):

huge orange ball

attracts with the power of its fire

hot and cold celestial bodies

don't let them fall on each other

and fly away

of all the planets, only one is rebellious

and this is the cost of a whirlwind life

it accumulates more and more burning and smoke

to hide from the sunshine

but from the point of view of the universe, this is transient

the smoke disperses

the light remains

(V. Kupriyanov)

Individuality in the use of punctuation marks can manifest itself both in expanding the boundaries of their use and in strengthening their functional properties. A combination of signs or a deliberate repetition of one of the signs can also be purely authorial and sometimes represent an individual technique found by the writer to convey the special state of the lyrical hero. If punctuation is included in the system of literary devices that help reveal the essence of poetic thought and the image created with its help, it becomes a powerful stylistic tool.

So, individuality in the use of punctuation marks does not consist at all in violating the punctuation system, not in neglecting the traditional meanings of signs, but in strengthening their significance as additional means of conveying thoughts and feelings in a written text, in expanding the boundaries of their use. Individualized punctuation carries a charge of expression, it is stylistically significant and helps the writer and poet in creating artistic expressiveness. And this, in turn, increases the degree of development and flexibility of the punctuation system of the language. Thus, creative individuality, using the expressive and pictorial possibilities of punctuation, simultaneously enriches it.

2.1 Historical variability of punctuation

Both punctuation as a whole and individual signs of the punctuation system are historically variable both in the quantitative sense (the number of characters) and in the qualitative sense (the "meaning" of the characters).

The first signs - dots and four dots arranged in a rhombus - were used in handwritten texts long before the advent of printing. In European writing, punctuation as a system of graphic notation was invented in the middle of the 15th century. It was accepted by most of the peoples of Europe. However, back in the 18th century there were not all those signs that modern punctuation has. For example, there were no dashes, dots, or quotes in Lomonosov's rules. These signs appear only towards the end of the 18th century.

The “meaning” of punctuation marks also changes. This can be easily seen if we "attach" the current rules of punctuation to the printed editions of the past. So, for example, such signs, relatively rare in modern press, as a colon and a semicolon, as well as a semicolon and a dash, were used much more often in the 19th century.

Here is how these signs are used, for example, by M.Yu. Lermontov:

Dear Sophia Alexandrovna; to this very day I have been in terrible trouble (letter to S.A. Bakhmeteva); Dear, I was still here and there; having arrived, I am not fit for anything; right, I need to travel; - I am a gypsy (letter to S.A. Bakhmeteva); Only late in the evening did Ashik-Kerib find his house: he knocks on the door with a trembling hand, saying: “Ana, ana (mother), open: I am God's guest: both cold and hungry; I ask, for the sake of your wandering son, let me in (“Ashik-Kerib”).

The semicolon and colon here are functionally more diverse than in the modern punctuation system: the semicolon is placed after the appeal, at the junction of the author's words and direct speech (in combination with a dash); the colon is placed not only in explanatory relations, but also in the designation of opposition, a simple enumeration before the union and, i.e. in cases where modern punctuation recommends a dash.

Comparison of the use of colons and dashes in different historical eras is very revealing. Currently, there is a tendency to replace colons with a dash in some cases. The use of a colon is limited to very specific and apparently few cases, it is fixed in a position before enumeration. In other cases, even when supported by current punctuation rules, the colon is practically replaced by a dash. In modern publications, a dash is often put in a non-union complex sentence when indicating the reason, explanation, concretization in the second part: Do not recognize Moscow - it is transformed by new quarters, buildings scattered to the west, north, south (gaz.); You don’t have to swim for a long time - alligators are not uncommon here (journal); I looked at the names - they were works on the hydrography of various seas (Paust.).

The dash begins to replace the colon in non-union sentences with the connecting part: Bugaev raised his head - in the winter night, a dome filled with air was clearly visible in the correct form (Vansh.); Malinin touched his hand - under the padded jacket his shoulder was warm, Mikhnetsov was alive (Sim.).

A dash instead of a colon is increasingly being placed before the enumeration after the generalizing word. For example: They did not “decorate” their film with anything - neither with a song, nor with a guitar, nor with music in general, nor with a voice-over (gaz.); In the new workshop, mass production of products for mechanical engineering is organized - bushings, glasses, gear sectors ... (gas.).

There is also a dash in a complex sentence, where “according to the rules” there should again be a colon, since in the main part of the sentence there are words warning about the subsequent clarification. For example: He wanted only one thing - for those around him to understand that his imagination and ability to please would be enough for thousands of people, and not for two or three (Paust.).

Such an extended use of the dash has now become so widespread that the set of rules in this respect clearly does not correspond to living use and needs to be clarified.

However, the colon, giving way to a dash in a non-union complex sentence, as well as in generalizing words, somehow compensates for its loss and begins to acquire a new functional quality - rhythmic-emphatic. The modern press actively uses this sign, although it is not provided for by the "rules". Examples: Lawyer: rights and problems (gaz.); Own car: blessing or disaster? (gas.). Such use of the sign for headings is typical. With the help of a colon, a certain brevity, catchiness is achieved.

The fate of some other signs is interesting. So, for example, in the XIX century. and at the beginning of the 20th century. very often (without strictly defined conditions) a comma and a dash were used as a single punctuation mark. This sign was especially common at the junction of parts of a complex sentence, both allied and non-union. Here are examples of such a sign from publications of the late 19th century:

The crowded people silently listened to these spells - and before their spiritual eyes there appeared days of exile, disasters and misfortunes of the past times (T.); Alas! people much lower than Faust have more than once imagined finally finding bliss in the love of a woman much higher than Margarita - and you yourself know, reader, in what chord all these variations were resolved (T.).

The comma and dash as a single sign was used for a long time. This sign is quite common with M. Gorky: And the rain poured down, - here it is (“About the little fairy ...”); It was May - glorious, merry May ("About the little fairy ...").

However, in the modern punctuation system, a comma and a dash as a single sign are given a clearly marked place: when making direct speech in combination with the author's and in a complex sentence under special conditions, in particular: a) before the main sentence, which is preceded by a number of homogeneous subordinate clauses; b) in front of a word that is repeated to connect a new sentence with it; in the period.

The point has become noticeably more active in modern use. This is due to the wide occurrence of parceled constructions in different types of texts. The latter not only imitate colloquialism in fiction and popular science texts, but also serve as a means of dismembering overly complicated and elongated sentences in scientific texts, where their "emotional qualities" are neutralized.

The changes that have taken place and are constantly taking place in punctuation concern not only the narrowing or, conversely, the expansion of the functional meaning of individual characters, but also the emergence of new meanings or the loss of old ones.

Modern punctuation (in comparison with the punctuation of the 19th century) is distinguished not so much by a qualitative change in punctuation marks, the norms of their use (although this certainly exists), but by new general trends in the punctuation design of printed text, which directly reflect the syntactic transformations of the modern language, which manifest themselves in in particular, in the activation of expressive constructions, in the dynamic rhythmization of written speech in general.

2.2.Author's punctuation marks in the works of A.P. Chekhov

Punctuation marks perform various functions in speech: firstly, they serve as a means of syntactic and intonation-semantic articulation of speech; secondly, they point to the semantic relationships between the parts of the statement; thirdly, they help the reader or listener to understand the content of the text or statement more quickly and correctly. Thus, punctuation marks are of great importance for the perception and understanding of what the author wanted to say, as they are emotionally loaded.

A literary text is a product of speech activity and is a sequence of communicative units, which, in turn, form a certain syntactic structure. Text is a syntactically ordered stream of speech, which consists of sentences and utterances. Choosing one or another punctuation mark, the author simultaneously indicates the interrogative or non-interrogative nature of the content of the sentence or its emotionally expressive coloring.

Note that punctuation marks do not convey the exact intonation characteristics of a particular sentence, but act as a means of indicating the connection between the content of the sentence and one or another type of intonation. Let us find out what role the author's punctuation marks play in the works of A.P. Chekhov.

A.P. himself Chekhov wrote in one of his letters in 1888: "Punctuation marks are notes when reading." Undoubtedly, the writer paid great attention to the richness of punctuation in his texts.

The emotionally expressive coloring of the utterance expresses the subjective attitude of the speaker or writer to what is reported or written and constitutes the content of the concept of exclamation. The exclamation carries the evaluative characteristics of the statement, various emotional and semantic shades that accompany the message or question (joy, anger, fear, indignation, surprise):

I sleep at the wrong time, at breakfast and lunch I eat different kabuls, I drink wine. not cool all this!. Not good! (Voynitsky, "Uncle Vanya")

Exclamation is expressed mainly by intonational means, but it is also an emotional and semantic phenomenon of speech. The composition of exclamatory sentences may include interjections, some particles and pronominal words, which, along with intonation, serve as a means of expressing emotionally expressive meanings:

Oh! (Maria Vasilievna, "Uncle Vanya")

Oh yeah! I was a bright person, from which no one was light. (Voynitsky, "Uncle Vanya")

The exclamation point has an intonation-semantic meaning. In the work, one sentence is separated from another by a pause, and the punctuation mark serves as its signal.

Punctuation marks used within a sentence are divided into separating and highlighting. Dividing signs are single and are used to distinguish between predicative parts that are part of some types of complex sentences, homogeneous members:

His first wife, my sister, a beautiful, meek creature, pure as this blue sky, noble, generous, who had more admirers than his students, loved him as only pure angels can love, just as pure and beautiful, like themselves (Voinitsky, "Uncle Vanya")

The distinguishing marks are a two-sided separation of a syntactic unit from the preceding and following parts of the sentence. The highlighting mark is a paired punctuation mark. A comma and a dash are used as a highlighting punctuation mark, which are classified as separating characters, but in the highlighting function, a comma and a dash act as double characters. In addition, brackets and quotation marks are included in the group of distinguishing characters, while noting that the possibilities of these characters as a means of selection are quite wide. They can be used to highlight units of different types.

Predicative parts that are combined in a complex sentence by a coordinating link or are in enumerative relations, as well as homogeneous members, are separated by a comma or a semicolon. A semicolon separates more strongly than a comma, and therefore the rules provide for the use of this sign to separate such components of a sentence that are remote from each other in content or are "significantly common and have commas inside them" . If there are commas inside parts that are punctuationally separated, a punctuation mark with a different style makes the border between them more distinct:

You just said, baron, our life will be called high; but people are still short (Chebutykin, "Three Sisters")

The second part of the sentence is too common, contains clarifications - a lot of commas, so Chekhov puts a semicolon.

A colon, separating one part of a sentence from another, serves as an indicator that the part following it reveals, clarifies, specifies, justifies the content of the previous one. The generalizing word is a sign of the next enumeration, and the homogeneous members presented in the enumeration specify the meaning of the generalizing word or phrase. In non-union complex sentences, a colon is placed when the second part substantiates, explains, clarifies the content of the first part.

Oh, and laziness, and boring! ... This is how Astrov said now: all of you are recklessly destroying forests, and soon there will be nothing left on earth (Elena Andreevna, "Uncle Vanya")

In my opinion, this is how: if a girl loves someone, then she is, therefore, immoral (Yasha, "The Cherry Orchard")

With the help of a dash, certain semantic relationships are conveyed between parts of a complex and simple sentence. In non-union complex sentences, a dash is used to denote conditional-temporal, comparative, investigative-resultative relations between parts.

It's strange whether Ivan Petrovich or this old idiot, Marya Vasilievna, speaks - and nothing, everyone is listening, but if I say even one word, everyone begins to feel unhappy (Serebryakov, "Uncle Vanya")

I remember when I was a boy of about fifteen, my father, the deceased - he then traded here in the village in a shop - hit me in the face with his fist, blood came from the nose ... (Lopakhin, "The Cherry Orchard")

ellipsis. The main function of this sign is to fix the fact of structural and semantic incompleteness of the sentence, its interruption. The incompleteness of one thought and the transition to another, hitches and difficulties in speech indicate dots inside the sentence. An ellipsis can be an indicator of the significance or surprise of a fact. It is also used to indicate that the list presented in the proposal is not exhaustive. An ellipsis is placed to indicate the incompleteness of the statement, caused by various reasons, to indicate breaks in speech, an unexpected transition from one thought to another.

In case of hair loss… two spools of naphthalene for half a bottle of alcohol… dissolve and use daily… So, I tell you, the cork is stuck into the bottle, and a glass tube passes through it… Then you take a pinch of the simplest, most common alum… (Chebutykin, "Three sisters")

I came here on purpose to meet me at the station, and suddenly I overslept... I fell asleep while sitting. Annoyance ... If only you would wake me up (Lopakhin, "The Cherry Orchard")

The ellipsis at the beginning of the text indicates that the narration, interrupted by some interpolation, continues, or that a lot of time has passed between the events described in the previous one. An ellipsis in the middle of a sentence indicates that the speaker interrupts his speech with reflections, tries to most accurately convey his thought to the listener, or, conversely, deliberately holds back any facts.

The use of punctuation marks placed inside the sentence is based on the syntactic properties of the separable or singled out units, on the nature of their relationship to other components of the sentence, on their intonational and semantic characteristics. When determining the composition of punctuation marks, their distribution by classification groups is also assumed. The division of punctuation into groups is carried out according to their inherent characteristics. The function of the punctuation mark is revealed while taking into account for what purposes and in relation to which syntactic unit this sign is used.

The text in Chekhov's dramaturgy is important not so much for what is said, but for what is silent. There is a subtext behind it, mute and disturbing. Only in rare moments do those who suffer too much dare to cry out their pain or rage, but pauses play a crucial role. Sometimes one of the characters embarks on a long monologue, he is interrupted by another - with his own monologue, in no way connected with the previous one. Chekhov does the same with remarks, because indeed people continue their thoughts in life, not listening to others. With the help of a pause, the author creates or maintains excitement or provides the necessary respite to move on to another topic and emphasize it, highlight it.

Chekhov, refusing direct statements, seeks to create the necessary mood by other artistic means, to awaken the corresponding feelings in the reader. His talent to achieve his goal is manifested by the simplest, concise, surprisingly capacious in its expressiveness means.

Following his principle of objectivity, following the internal flow of thoughts and experiences of the characters, Chekhov uses the form of an internal monologue in an extremely wide and diverse way, which is difficult to combine with the direct statements of the characters. Often the intonations of the narrator himself imperceptibly invade this inner monologue, impersonal forms begin to predominate, and then in the inner monologue the thoughts and feelings of not only the character and the narrator, but also the reader merge into one.

These are Olga's thoughts, but they imperceptibly merge with Chekhov's thoughts, impressions and experiences. This is how the final part of Olga's internal monologue is constructed.

As a result, Chekhov's principles of artistic narration were formed, which were distinguished by brevity, simplicity, musicality, liveliness, exceptional emotional and semantic capacity. When the story is read and experienced, the first thing that strikes is its capacity: there are so many living characters here, so many destinies that seem to be traced throughout a lifetime. Chekhov is able to discover in everyday facts their inner depth and complexity, their inseparable connection with the most important problems of human life and society. Each event is extremely saturated with thoughts and moods that infect, involve the reader in their movement and consciousness. The reader is gradually immersed in the spiritual life of the characters. Chekhov counts on the reader's activity, on his sensitivity to the author's intonation.

Conclusion.

As a result of the research work, it can be concluded that Chekhov's author's punctuation is a unique means of expressing the writer's thoughts and feelings. The predominance of such punctuation marks as exclamation marks and dots testifies to the emotional, expressive imagery of the heroes of the works of A.P. Chekhov. When the author's punctuation conveys excitement, sharp changes in intonation, a different nature and meaning of a pause, in a word, the whole range of raising, lowering the voice and rhythmic and melodic modifications of speech.

List of used literature

1. Valgina N.S. Russian punctuation. M., 2008.

2. Domansky Yu.V. Variation of Chekhov's dramaturgy. Monograph. - Tver: "Lilia Print", 2010.

3. Efimov A.I. On the language of works of art. - M.: Uchpedgiz, 2009.

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On the one hand, this term refers to the features of the punctuation design of texts that are individual in nature, inherent in a particular writer (a set of punctuation marks used by him, the predominant use of one of them, the expansion of the functions of this sign), in general, do not contradict the rules adopted in this period .

On the other hand, this term is interpreted as a deliberate deviation from the current norms of punctuation and a special use of punctuation marks in literary texts. Indeed, in printed and handwritten texts, punctuation is often found that does not comply with the rules, but is justified by the style, genre, context - all the features of the work.

It is difficult to draw a clear line between these two concepts, and it seems possible to consider the author's punctuation in both aspects.

So, A. I. Efimov analyzed the widespread use by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin of such a relatively rare punctuation mark as brackets (in the "Rules of Russian Spelling and Punctuation" only four cases of their use are given). For the satirist writer, brackets were one of the most effective means of creating expressiveness, they were used by him not so much for grammatical purposes as for expressive and stylistic purposes: they contained figurative equivalents, word synonyms, "Aesopian" catchphrases, professionalisms, clarified outdated vocabulary, comments were given to names and surnames, phraseological parallelisms commenting on indications of sources of phraseology, periphrastic expressions were revealed, they served as interlinear satirical language, framed polemical attacks, witticisms, anecdotes, remarks of a service-grammatical nature, etc. (according to Efimov’s calculations, brackets Saltykov-Shchedrin performed up to forty functions).

The author's punctuation includes the wide and peculiar use of the ellipsis by the writer L. M. Leonov: as an indicator of a pause, as a signal of a connecting connection, as a way to move from direct or improperly direct speech to the words of the author, as a replacement for a paragraph when moving from the initial, as if key phrases to the subsequent detailed presentation, etc.

The use of a dash after the union and is a characteristic feature of the system of intonational-syntactic figurative means that determine the writing style of F. M. Dostoevsky: "I didn't hear anything," said Velchaninov, and turned pale; He went out and finished the job; In a word, I foresee the onset of a new period of life and - I get excited; A thousand prejudices and logical thoughts and - no thoughts!; The main thing is that Mr. Versilov got excited and - unnecessarily hurried ...; Mechanically he went up to the window to open it and breathe in the night air, and suddenly he shuddered all over...

M. Gorky’s “addiction” to the dash is well known, which he finds everywhere: between the subject and the verb predicate, after a composing union with homogeneous members of a sentence, after generalizing words before listing homogeneous members, between homogeneous and heterogeneous members, before a comparative union - in general , where a punctuation mark is usually or not put at all, or another mark is put. For example: Lying down is worse. Lie down means - surrendered; It's like a fistfight; And - I want to say; Eccentric! How not to be afraid? And - gentlemen, and - God ?; Do you believe in lovers? A bottle of beer? - So it's not possible?(remarks refer to different persons); People - won; Man - knows how to work!; Sunset - went out; Alyoshka - knew(in the last examples, the division of the sentence enhances the meaning of the main members, as if opposing them to each other); At he had such a fat, damp face, and his belly was like a big pillow(before comparative conjunction); “So you yourself must understand that the earth is dust!” - “Ashes, but - a silk cassock is on you. Ashes, but a gilded cross! Ashes, but - you are greedy ”; Money disappears, work remains; Some fight, others steal(symmetric dash); All this is nonsense, - dreams, - nonsense!; Leave me alone, - it will be, - drop it!; The people are coming, - red flags, - a lot of people, - countless, - of different ranks ...(in the last examples, a comma and a dash to express gradation).

The semantic, syntactic, intonational functions of the dash, the graphic expressiveness of this punctuation mark have won him popularity among many writers, in whose works there is also an individual author's, free, unregulated use of the dash.

Wed in fiction and in the letters of I. S. Turgenev: And it smells of smoke and grass - and a little bit of tar - and a little bit of skin; And he certainly died before me, while still young; but years passed - and I forgot about his promise - about his threat; A tall, bony old woman with an iron face and a motionless, dull look—walks with long strides—and with a hand as dry as a stick pushes another woman in front of her; I have never printed a single line in my life in a language other than Russian; otherwise I would not be an artist - but - simply - rubbish. ... I promise you one thing that I hope you will like - what it is - I will not say - you will see - but you will receive it, maybe in a month.

The well-known Turgenev's poem in the prose "Russian Language" has the following punctuation:

In days of doubt, in days of painful reflections on the fate of my homeland, you alone are my support and support, O great, powerful, truthful and free Russian language! Without you, how not to fall into despair at the sight of everything that happens at home? But one cannot believe that such a language was not given to a great people!

The dash, with its ability to express the rhythmic melody of speech, was widely used by F. I. Tyutchev. Sometimes the poet also used it as a final sign:

The feast is over - the choirs fell silent -
Empty amphoras -
Overturned baskets -
Not drunk in cups of wine -
Wreaths are crumpled on the heads -
Only aromas smoke
In the empty bright room...

There are many examples of the author's use of the dash in the works of A. N. Tolstoy: Yes - that's what - come back yourself, but at a trot, hear ...; And you - look - for such words ...; Dyaku - give, clerk - give, junior clerk - give(symmetrical dash).

The dash is actively used in the poetry of A. A. Blok. Here is an example of the use of a dash for concise, sharp and contrasting expression of thoughts:

And now - She, and to her - my Hosanna -
The crown of labor is above all awards.
…………………………………
I was the one who kept and warmed the candles here.
One - the prophet - trembled in the smoke of the censer.
And on One Day - one participant of the Meeting.
I did not share these meetings with anyone.

Rhythm melodic dash:

High above us - above the waves -
Like the dawn over black rocks -
The banner of the Internationale is flying!

Dash in verses of special rhythm:

And she doesn't hear
Hearing, not looking
Quiet - not breathing
White - silent ...

Dash as a reflection of hard pauses:

... bares his teeth - the wolf is hungry -
The tail is tucked in - does not lag behind -
The dog is cold - the dog is rootless ...

V. V. Mayakovsky uses a dash to convey jerky, “torn” speech: The bourgeoisie elevated into a poetic cult - a petty sentimental love - a harmonious landscape - a portrait of the noblest representatives of the class. Correspondingly, her words are - gentle - polite - noble.

M. I. Tsvetaeva uses a dash to semantic highlight the last word of a line, to create a special rhythmic melody of a verse:

The July wind sweeps me - the way,
And somewhere the music in the window - a little.
Oh, now the wind until dawn - blow
Through the walls of thin breasts - in the chest.
There is a black poplar, and in the window there is light,
And the ringing on the tower, and in the hand - the color,
And this step - to no one - after,
And this shadow is here, but not me.

Here is another example of Tsvetaeva's embossed syllable, reflected in the letter with the help of a dash:

Far away - in the night - on the asphalt - a cane,
Doors wide open - into the night - under the blow of the wind.
- Come in! — come! - unwanted guest
Into my bright rest.

Some authors highlight insert sentences simultaneously with brackets and dashes (in a different sequence): I am very sorry to you both, especially to you, Marianne, for causing you such grief - (I know, Marianna, you will grieve) - and causing you so much anxiety(T.); It was necessary to go down the knocked down, worn steps (- young nettle grew from stone cracks -) to go down to the basement(Leon.).

One could give other examples of the individual author's use of dashes in works of fiction (for example, A. N. Tolstoy has three dashes in a row), the use that helps to reveal the creative manner of the writer. Compare, for example, punctuation to show curt speech: Putting his hands on his hips, Richard leaned to the right, to the left, saying: "To - the - question - about - some - data - observations - thunderstorms - Tula region - in the second half of the nineteenth century"(Gran.).

In any case, it is appropriate to recall the advice of A.P. Chekhov to one writer: "... use less italics and dashes - this is mannered."

There are other examples of the author's punctuation: complete or partial rejection of punctuation marks as a satirical device, or reflection of the peculiarities of foreign language punctuation in translated texts, or, conversely, text overload with punctuation marks: I have an idea! Fall at my feet, so be it, have mercy! I! I take! You! I enroll! TO! Yourself! AT! Group! Here!(Gran.); I miss. Without. You. My. Expensive. (This is my new style - I like to cut phrases, it's trendy and in the spirit of the times.)(Yu. S.).

But in order not to draw an incorrect conclusion from these words about the negative attitude towards the author's punctuation, we will cite two statements by the prominent Russian linguist V. I. Chernyshev.

First: “With some attention to the handwritten text of I. S. Turgenev, the peculiar merits of his punctuation become apparent and the author’s desire to get out of the solid, but inexpressive framework of its usual use and adapt punctuation marks to a more accurate expression of thought and a more natural division of speech is understandable. Turgenev's system of using dots was especially successful. He uses three types of dots in the manuscript of "Poems in Prose": 1) two adjacent dots (..), 2) three dots (...) and 3) four dots (....). This use of ellipsis is, so to speak, a parallel to the signs we use for different degrees of separation of speech: comma, semicolon and full stop. (One could point out in passing that F.I. Tyutchev has up to fifteen dots in the dots.)

Second: “... G. I. Uspensky had “his own” punctuation, not syntactic, which is accepted by us, but intonation, showing the articulation of speech in its live pronunciation. The writer did not deal with dead graphic signs in the process of presentation: he seemed to hear, he produced and depicted living speech with its natural pauses.

See, for example: Efimov A. I. Stylistic functions of brackets in the language of Saltykov-Shchedrin // Rus. lang. at school. 1946. No. 1 (approximately the same in his book "The Style of Artistic Speech". M., 1957. S. 425-435); Valgina N. S. The stylistic role of punctuation in the poetry of M. Tsvetaeva // Rus. speech. 1978. No. 6; She is. “Neither the sea is deeper, nor the abyss is darker ...” (about the punctuation of A. Blok) // Rus. speech. 1980. No. 6; Nikolaev A. A. Punctuation of Tyutchev's poems // Modern Russian punctuation. M., 1979; Ivanchikova E. A. On one technique of Dostoevsky's affective punctuation // Ibid.

See: Shapiro A. B. Fundamentals of Russian punctuation. M., 1955 (some examples are borrowed from there).

To understand the definition of the concept of "author's punctuation", let's turn to the interpretation of the term by D. Ya. Rozental ("Handbook of the Russian language. Punctuation"), it says the following: "the term" author's punctuation "allows a double interpretation. On the one hand, this term refers to the features of the punctuation design of texts that are of an individual nature, inherent in a particular writer (a set of signs used by him, the predominant use of one of them, the expansion of the functions of this sign), in general, do not contradict the rules adopted in this period.

The second meaning of the term, wider, is directly related to the idea of punctuation unregulated, not fixed by rules, i.e. representing a variety of deviations from the general norms. It is this value that requires clarification, since not all deviations can be included in the category of copyright.

Irregularity of punctuation can be caused by various reasons, and it is not always associated with the manifestation of the author's individuality. In general, unregulated punctuation (naturally, erroneous punctuation is not taken into account) combines various phenomena, the awareness of which allows us to isolate the author's punctuation, which is directly related to the individuality of the writer.

The author's punctuation cannot be attributed either to general norms or to situational norms. Since general norms include a mandatory punctuation minimum (which is impossible to do without), while situational norms provide special information and expressiveness of speech (reflecting the general stylistic properties of functionally different texts).

Also, the historical development of the Russian punctuation system has nothing to do with the individual author's punctuation, since punctuation serves a constantly changing and developing language. In the language in each period of time, changes can occur in the functions of punctuation marks and in the conditions for their use. More related to the individuality of the writer are contextually determined signs. But here individuality lies only in the possibility of choice, and the choice is dictated by the displayed speech situation.

Another area of application of unregulated punctuation is the punctuation of colloquial speech. Here, unregulated punctuation is used to convey the intermittent nature of colloquial speech in written speech (imitation of text division based on live pronunciation, with numerous pauses), dots, dashes are used, and their choice is dictated not by the structure of the sentence, but by the purely intonation side of speech.

The author's punctuation marks in the true sense of the word are not bound by strict rules of arrangement and entirely depend on the will of the writer, embodying the individual feeling of their necessity. Such signs are included in the concept of the author's syllable, they acquire stylistic significance.

N. S. Valgina identifies the following examples of author's punctuation in the text:

1) the appearance of a punctuation mark in such conditions where it is not regulated;
2) strengthening the sign position, that is, replacing the sign with a stronger one in terms of the dismembering function, for example, a comma is replaced by a dash;
3) copyright marks can obey the rhythm of the text, convey its melody, accelerated or slowed down tempo;
4) one of the types of author's punctuation is the complete absence of punctuation marks, which can be called a special literary device that has often been found in Russian poetry since the second half of the 20th century. As N. S. Valgina notes, the absence of punctuation is possible only if the structure of the text is complete, when all the necessary meanings are lexically revealed. Such a design cannot be applied to intermittent or illogical speech, cannot imitate the process of thinking and colloquial intonation, and does not reflect ellipses and omissions in the text.

The concept of author's punctuation often haunts the minds of editors and proofreaders. In what cases should deliberately changed punctuation be preserved in this form? Where is the thin line between the author's intention and banal illiteracy? What is author's punctuation? Let's try to figure it out in this article.

What is punctuation

The word "punctuation" comes from the Latin punctum, which means "point". This is a system of special graphic signs that serve to divide speech into separate semantic parts, both orally and in writing. Punctuation marks are not related to the alphabet, but are a type of language tool - they organize individual words and sentences into semantic blocks, and give the written text a certain structure.

There are certain norms and rules for the placement of punctuation marks, which have their own characteristics in each of the world's languages. The presence guarantees a certain order in the writing of texts and in their interpretation. However, the literature knows many examples of a peculiar arrangement of signs in the text, which have become exceptions to accepted norms - this phenomenon is called author's punctuation. Rules and language norms in this case fade into the background, but are not completely denied.

The original punctuation is built on the basis of existing principles. In addition, punctuation marks are variable - often the author has a choice of which sign to put here, which semantic nuance to emphasize. The selected character will in any case be grammatically correct.

About the essence of punctuation marks

The author's punctuation combines such phenomena as the whole set in a particular work of the author or their non-standard arrangement, which deviates from the accepted rules. Why do writers and poets use this technique?

Punctuation marks for the author of a work of art are the same tools as letters and words. With their help, writers and poets build the rhythmic pattern of the text. They seem to lead the reader through the story, indicating that it would be worth stopping here, and here you can accelerate for a run.

For a competent reader, a sentence with author's punctuation is like an invitation from the writer himself to stop and think about the text. A competent reader will immediately ask himself the question - why did this sign appear here? Parentheses are often used for additional remarks, dashes for sharp opposition. The ellipsis often sets a minor mood - as if the hero is thinking or yearning for something.

The correct punctuation strategy consists not only in blindly following grammatical norms and rules, but also in relying on your linguistic intuition, in understanding the correct intonation of the sentence being written, and also in understanding your intention. The author must be aware of what exactly he wants to tell the reader. It will not be superfluous to try to imagine yourself in the place of the reader and think about how the latter will perceive what the author has written in the context of what he has already read.

When did you start talking about author's punctuation?

It will be unusual for a modern reader to hear this, however, until the 19th century, there was practically no separate concept of signs placed personally by the author, especially in Russian literature. Many workers of the pen did not care about punctuation marks - they boldly left the right to arrange them for proofreaders and editors. The author's spelling and punctuation could be rethought several times by outsiders. Nowadays, when even a dot in a text message casts doubt on the meaning of what was written, it is hard to imagine that a poet of the century before last could not care about commas at all.

You and I might not have recognized many old works in their original version - some signs did not yet exist in principle. In addition, the modern manner of arranging signs differs from that adopted in the old days. Lermontov, for example, put much more dots in the dots than three - their number could reach up to 5-6.

The history of punctuation marks: interesting facts

Punctuation marks were created and developed gradually, in parallel with the enrichment of languages. From the ancient period until the Renaissance, the use of punctuation was haphazard and not controlled by any norms. But now the era of typography has come - and the norms of punctuation sooner or later had to be unified. It happened in the 16th century.

The creators of the modern punctuation system are considered to be the Italian book printers Aldov Manutsiev the Elder and the Younger - grandfather and grandson. They are credited with inventing the semicolon, many fonts still famous today, and the first use of a branded publishing mark. But the first punctuation marks appeared long before the Manutii.

Dot

The dot denotes the completeness of the author's thought, the logical end of something and is the oldest of the punctuation marks. For the first time it appeared among the ancient Greeks, and in Russian writing - already at the end of the 15th century. At first it did not matter at what height to put it - it could be either at the bottom of the line or in the middle.

In Church Slavonic writing, there was a prototype of a point - the so-called "stop sign" in the form of a cross. The scribe marked with them the place where he was forced to interrupt the rewriting. At the same time, the stop sign could well be placed in the middle of an unfinished word. In addition, a pause in the text could be indicated with a colon, three dots in the form of a triangle, or four dots in the form of a rhombus.

Comma

The comma seems to indicate semantic equality in the context of the entire sentence of those words and phrases that it shares. In Russian manuscripts, the comma appears about half a century later than the dot - at the beginning of the 16th century.

Colon

The main task of the colon is to explain and interpret. Usually, after this sign, details always follow, giving a clue to understanding the previous part of the sentence. But at first, in Russian, the colon performed much more functions - it was used as an abbreviation sign (like a dot now), it was placed at the end of a sentence, it replaced the ellipsis. In some European languages (Finnish, Swedish), the colon is still used to shorten a word (as in Russian a hyphen in the middle of a word). A colon is also used if it is followed by the author's speech in the text. Punctuation in this case is also supplemented with quotation marks.

Dash

Of all the punctuation marks in Russian writing, the dash appeared last of all - the writer Karamzin introduced it into use in the 18th century. The name comes from the French word tiret - to divide. At first, the dash was called much more interesting: "silence" or "sign separating thought." However, these names make it clear about the function of the dash - a significant pause before the next part of the sentence.

ellipsis

The ellipsis sign in Russian was first called the "stop sign". For the first time in the norms of grammar, it is mentioned at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, the ellipsis can express understatement or some kind of uncertainty of the author in what was written. Also, as conceived by the author, a sentence may begin with an ellipsis if it is necessary to indicate that the action has already begun.

Exclamation point

Came to us from the Latin language. The ancient Romans, in order to mark a place in the text that they especially liked, used the short word "Io", denoting joy. Over time, the shape of this insert became more and more ergonomic - the letter O decreased in size and slid under the letter I. As a result, a modern exclamation mark appeared, which is essentially the ancestor of the emoticon. Now an exclamation in the text can display not only joy, but also fear, surprise, anxiety, anger, and many other emotions.

Question mark

The origin story is similar to the previous one regarding the exclamation mark. To express the question and puzzlement, the Romans had the postscript "Qo". Gradually, it also transformed into a more compact form. The question mark began to be actively used in the 17th-18th centuries.

Together with an exclamation mark, a question mark can form even more expressive combinations?! and?!!, under which surprise is most often hidden. Also, both signs are combined with ellipsis - then surprise develops into stunned. In fact, there is already a combined question and exclamation mark called interrobang. It was invented only 60-70 years ago in America and was even used in newspapers for some time, but the newfangled sign did not take root. So if you want to surprise readers with your author's punctuation, you already have an example to borrow from.

Interestingly, in Spanish, both question marks and exclamation marks are also used in an inverted position. An inverted sign precedes a phrase - a question or an exclamation - similar to the principle of open-closed quotes.

Quotes

Quotation marks serve to isolate direct speech, quoting, giving the word an ironic connotation, to insert names or rare words into the text, the explanation of which is subsequently given. It seems that no other sign has such a variety of forms - different languages use different types of quotes:

"Christmas trees" - quotes - in Russian in print;
"paws" - quotes - in German or in Russian, if they write by hand;
"English" quotes, double or single;
"Polish" quotation marks;
"Swedish" quotes - directed in the opposite direction in relation to the word;
Japanese and Chinese quotation marks are unlike any other. You can see them in the picture below.

Separate rules exist for quotes within quotes. In Russian, quotation marks of the first order are quotation marks-Christmas trees, and inside them are German quotation marks-paws. For example, consider how exactly the following phrase fits into our narrative: “The teacher said:“ Write out the sentence with the author’s punctuation. If the piling up of characters is embarrassing, only quotation marks-herringbones can be used, while the second, closing quotation mark will combine the functions of both orders.

The primary task is to highlight the main

Often the author's punctuation, which contradicts the rules, is used where the author intentionally wants to highlight something. Our gaze seems to be drawn to where the extra dash is. The text becomes more expressive and acquires an emotional coloring.

For example, commas that are often neutral in their emotional coloring are replaced by a more expressive dash - especially where a dramatic pause needs to be maintained. Linguists call this technique “strengthening the sign position”.

Also, commas can be replaced by periods. By the way, contrary to a common misconception, the well-known line from A. Blok's poem: “Night, street, lamp, pharmacy” contains commas, not periods.

Features of the writer's style

Speaking about the author's punctuation in relation to a particular writer, they often mean his manner of punctuation. Some people are fond of ellipses, while others, for example, often use dashes. The peculiar manner of writing and arrangement of signs seems to become the hallmark of the writer. Remember, for example, Mayakovsky and his game with lines. In turn, F. M. Dostoevsky liked to use a dash after the union and, and Maxim Gorky could put it in place of a comma.

If we are talking about the process of publishing a book, then the definition of “author's punctuation” includes all the signs found in the text, including those that are arranged in accordance with the rules. After editing the text, punctuation may change - the proofreader has the right to improve the grammatical side of the text at his discretion.

Nothing superfluous: author's punctuation ... no punctuation

One of the methods of influencing the reader in modern literature may be the complete absence of punctuation marks. Most often, this technique is used in white or free verse. Sometimes a writer or poet tries to structure what he has written at least line by line, but it happens that he deliberately tries to abandon the even internal rhythm of the narrative. The text seems to be approaching the reader with its solid mass and absorbing him entirely, not allowing him to come to his senses.

Such a work is always a riddle, the answer to which each reader finds independently, placing semantic accents. This technique achieves maximum hyperbolization if the words are written without spaces and capital letters - in fact, this is exactly what the text looked like at the time of the birth of writing.

Too many signs

There is also a method of author's punctuation, which is reverse to the absence of dividing marks - the glut of the text with signs. In this way, the author can equally express the fussiness or haste of what is happening, as well as seem to mint events and create a feeling of their complete distinctness. A similar method of working with text is called parcelling - from the French word "parcel", denoting a particle. Often dots are used as a separator character - a lot of one-two-word sentences make our eyes and mind cling to every detail in the text.

Transforming Punctuation: Using Emoticons

Whether we like it or not, the use of emoticons in Internet correspondence is gradually gaining more and more importance. There are even scientific papers already on the topic of whether emoticons are considered punctuation marks or not? So far, language researchers agree that a smiley made up of punctuation marks - a colon and a bracket - can serve as such, but a picture from a set of smileys in a messenger should already be considered a pictogram. In any case, emoticons as text separators may well qualify for inclusion in the category of author's punctuation, and their arrangement rules are already beginning to take shape.

Authoritative experts in modern linguistics argue that the smiley should be separated from the rest of the text, if not by two, then at least by one space. Also, the bracket smiley always “eats” the period to avoid visual clutter of characters in a sentence - even if it's your author's punctuation. Examples can be found on any forum - for most Internet users, the smiley bracket has even become a substitute for a period, and the presence of the latter may raise doubts - why didn’t my interlocutor smile? Something went wrong?

Reception of strikethrough text

Another favorite technique of netizens is to use strikethrough text in an ironic way. The author seemed to allow himself a little more liberties, wrote what he thinks - and then remembered that decent people read it, crossed out what was written and came up with a more digestible version. This technique is often used by bloggers with a good sense of humor. Perhaps someday we will see a similar example in a school textbook as a sentence with the author's punctuation.

Author's style or ignorance?

You cannot make a gross mistake in a sentence and hide behind the concept of author's punctuation. The latter always serves as an element of expressiveness, while an incorrectly placed (or vice versa, forgotten) sign simply indicates your illiteracy. Any punctuation should contribute to the perception of the text, and not make it difficult. The author's spelling and punctuation will serve as an object for numerous discussions for a long time to come, but in order to break the rules, you first need to understand them.