Question mark: Difference between revisions

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==Variations in foreign languages and in history==

In some languages, such as [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Galician language|Galician]], typography since the [[18th century]] has hadrequired questionopening markand beingclosing be opened andquestion closedmarks; an interrogative sentence or phrase begins with an '''inverted question mark''' ('''¿''') and ends with the question mark ('''?'''). However, this [[orthography|orthographical]] convention is often disregarded in quick [[typing]] and where the inverted character is not easily available from [[computer keyboard]]s. In [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Church Slavonic language|Church Slavonic]], a [[semicolon]] (;) is used as a question mark. In [[Arabic language|Arabic]], the question mark "؟؟" is mirrored. The question mark is also used in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and [[Korean language|Korean]].

The '''rhetorical question mark''' first appeared in the [[1580s]] and was used at the end of a [[rhetorical question]]. It was the reverse of an ordinary question mark, so that instead of the main opening pointing back into the sentence, it opened away from it. This usage gradually disappeared in the [[1600s]].

In the mid 1930's1930s it was called the Interogation Point(?)

[1935 p.788 of New Revised Edition Websters's Practical Dictionary, Self Pronouncing]