Talk:Full stop

Unicode
Shouldn't the Unicode  character be mentioned here and in the Sentence spacing article? Encyclopedant (talk) 06:19, 24 October 2018 (UTC)
 * It's mentioned here in . For Sentence spacing, ask in Talk:Sentence spacing. Guy Harris (talk) 21:10, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

Since this is an American website, why is the uncommon full stop promoted to the standard?
Just what the title says. Full stop is almost never used in the U.S. Why is it being elevated above the word period? This website was created in the United States, therefore, we should be adhering to the country of origin's standards.

--Snippert (talk) 20:10, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
 * You're not very familiar with Wikipedia policies, are you. 2A02:C7F:6E64:1C00:7418:968A:9293:632E (talk) 22:35, 8 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Chances are that more English speakers, including the 400 million or so in India, call it a full stop. HiLo48 (talk) 02:59, 9 April 2020 (UTC)
 * What makes https://en.wikipedia.org an "American" web site? Guy Harris (talk) 21:13, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I think there should be a forthright response to this question on pages where these disputes are common. Although the English Wikipedia is hosted by an American non-profit, the project aims to serve all English speakers. Barring considerations not relevant to this article, the Manual of Style states that when an article may be titled in either an American or a British style, the original title should be maintained. The article 'Full Stop' referred to the punctuation mark before 'Period' did. The same policy recommends consistency within an article, which resulted in "full stop" being used rather than "period" throughout the article. Maltice (talk) 19:10, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm more befuddled by "full point" which TIL was purportedly a thing. Local Potentate (talk) 08:01, 16 September 2023 (UTC)
 * discusses the use of "full point", but use elsewhere in the article (other than in the introductory sentence of the lede) of "full point" should perhaps be replaced with "full stop", so the reader only has to deal with two terms, rather than having to deal with a third term that I suspect is less common than either "full stop" or "period". Guy Harris (talk) 09:07, 16 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Full point is the name of the character; full stop the role it plays at the end of a sentence but not otherwise (e.g. at the end of an abbreviation).  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  10:59, 16 September 2023 (UTC)
 * @SMcCandlish oh. that's interesting. that should be on the page... is it's already there, it is not as clear as this. Stevebroshar (talk) 20:01, 27 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Well, someone's got to dig up a source for it. I'm sure I have one or more around somewhere, but have a lot going on right now. If someone else doesn't get to it within a few weeks, ping me about it.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  02:19, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

usage in text section identifiers and software versions
i have seen text section identifiers like "5.3", "4.2.9", also, like that, software versions. please add about that in the usage section. --Qdinar (talk) 18:12, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
 * ✅ --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 18:55, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
 * you have written only about software versions: . --Qdinar (talk) 10:58, 29 October 2021 (UTC)
 * I guess you mean multilevel numbering? This time, it's your turn to do some work. A quick and superficial web search comes up with many pages saying how to do it in MsWord but none that define it or say where, when and why it is used, This one (https://www.roberttaylorcommunications.com/tmc-general/paragraph-numbering/ ) comes close but it is not obviously an authoritative source. It will do if you can't find better but doubtless given time you can. Over to you! --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 14:50, 29 October 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 March 2022
The third sentence of this article repeats the words “used to” in error. Please change:

Although full stop technically applies only when the mark is used to used to end a sentence, the distinction – drawn since at least 1897[1] – is not maintained by all modern style guides and dictionaries.

to

Although full stop technically applies only when the mark is used to end a sentence, the distinction – drawn since at least 1897[1] – is not maintained by all modern style guides and dictionaries. 2603:6080:DD02:3000:A48F:30D:347E:63C2 (talk) 06:07, 5 March 2022 (UTC)
 * ✅  — Paper9oll  (🔔 • 📝)  09:40, 5 March 2022 (UTC)

I don't get it
How do you english-speaking people distinguish a full stop that ends a sentence from a full stop that ends a paragraph? In spanish we have "Punto y aparte" for the latter, and "Punto y seguido" for the former. - Joaquin89uy (talk) 17:58, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
 * We don't. The full stop that ends the last sentence of a paragraph is also the full stop that ends the paragraph.  Paragraphs are separated by blank lines. Guy Harris (talk) 21:04, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
 * . So, let's say a teacher is dictating a piece of text. Does he or she say, "full stop, blank line" when you have to shift to a new paragraph? Or maybe something like, "full stop, next line"? Or how does that work? I'm curious. - Joaquin89uy (talk) 21:55, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
 * It's been decades since I was in school, and I never was a teacher, but it's probably something like "full stop, new paragraph". Guy Harris (talk) 22:20, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
 * . Interesting. Thanks. - Joaquin89uy (talk) 02:21, 19 June 2023 (UTC)
 * @Joaquin89uy never had a teacher dictate. Secretaries take dictation, and there aren't any secretaries anymore. Everyone types their own stuff now. Stevebroshar (talk) 19:55, 27 May 2024 (UTC)
 * A person dictating English would say "Full-stop, New paragraph." Please note that paragraphs are not separated by blank lines in novels. In novels, and also some business letter styles, the first line of a new paragraph indented by typically 3 or 5 spaces (referred to as 1 stop). Most modern business documents, user guides etc don't do this and instead insert the blank line. It's a purely personal and stylistic choice. Blitterbug 21:55, 10 January 2024 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Blitterbug (talk • contribs)

Semi-protected edit request on 26 September 2023
Please insert the following section under the §Full stops in other scripts section:—

Thank you. 104.246.222.128 (talk) 17:13, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. M.Bitton (talk) 17:26, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
 * This shouldn't be added even with reliable sources, because periods/full stops/full points are not cantillation marks or vice-versa. Hebrew cantillation marks are a form of end mark; WP doesn't have an article on them, though they are mentioned in the journalistic context at End mark (disambiguation).  Periods/stops can be a considered a sub-class of end marks in the broad sense, namely ones that pertain to the narrow class of section called "a sentence".  The anonymous editor above would be better off doing an hour or two of research, with proper sources, and creating a short article on sectional end marks in general, with a section on Hebrew cantillation marks, and a hightly compressed section on period/stop that is a WP:SUMMARY of the gist of the Full stop article.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  21:18, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

Q
Is putting a "full stop" necessary at the end of non-sentence captions? We have many differences and variant methods here on the Encyclopedia's countless articles. Please ping, if you are going to leave a comment. — Hamid Hassani (talk) 03:35, 7 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Note: I got the answer here. — Hamid Hassani (talk) 03:11, 12 February 2024 (UTC)

Usage of Full Stops in Chinese and Japanese

 * “When used with traditional characters the full stop is generally centered on the mean line; when used with simplified characters, it is usually aligned to the baseline.”

This statement is correct for Chinese, but it is inaccurate for Japanese, so it needs to be corrected. Mochimkchiking (talk) 07:25, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

American usage of the term "full stop"
I was introduced to the term "full stop" with the meaning that is used at the disambiguation page Full Stop: a form of punctuation to end a sentence. While the British use appears to be as a synonym for period dot, the American definition is intended to refer generically to a class of punctuation marks that also includes the question mark and exclamation point (with the comma rated as a "quarter stop", the semicolon as a half and the colon as a three-quarter stop). Why does the Full stop article ignore this definition while the Full Stop article leads with it? 71.105.190.227 (talk) 01:22, 14 March 2024 (UTC)
 * This Australian (familiar with what you describe as the British usage) has never come across your "American" definition. Can you provide a reliable source that documents it? HiLo48 (talk) 02:07, 14 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I imagine the definition is not used in Australia.
 * I mainly recall someone speaking from a position of expertise online but not any particular educational or textbook setting.71.105.190.227 (talk) 05:08, 15 March 2024 (UTC)
 * This American has also never heard of the purported American definition. What indicated that the person claiming that as the American usage had expertise in this matter?
 * And the Full Stop disambiguation page says that "A full stop is a form of punctuation to end a sentence." That doesn't say "a full stop is any punctuation that ends a sentence"; a period dot is, indeed, a form of punctuation to end a sentence, just as a question mark is a form of punctuation to end a sentence, as is an exclamation point. Guy Harris (talk) 19:05, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Agreed; "a" and "any" are not synonymous. If the anon is quoting an actual source somewhere, then its wording wasn't very clear, but that doesn't give us license (per WP:NOR) to reinterpret it in the broadest possible way just because one of us would like to. PS: For anyone curious, this "stop" terminology appears to been popularized and solidified in meaning by telegraphy, with a comma dictated aloud as "stop" and a period/full-point as "full stop" (thoug some of this terminology is older and was just  telegraphy). It might be worth adding to the article somewhere, though as usual a source would be needed for it. I likely have one or more around somewhere, but it would take considerable effort to go through all these style and punctuation and history-of-English and history-of-writing and history-of-printing and history-of-telecommunications books to find something that specific (even if most of them are text-searchable e-books at this point, as I modernize, and downsize the footprint of my physical library; at my age, my back couldn't make moving 5,000+ books again, even to another unit in the same building).  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  02:37, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

is full stop only for ending a sentence?
some say that full stop is by definition the punctuation that ends a declarative sentence. and that the character used is the full point. further the full point is used for other things like abbreviation. is that correct?

so full stop isn't a character per se. it's a grammatical element.... for which the full point char is used.

i ask since the article is not consistent with that. Stevebroshar (talk) 20:12, 27 May 2024 (UTC)
 * See thread above that is already about this.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  02:21, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Not as clearly as I want.
 * Full point is the name of the character; full stop the role it plays at the end of a sentence but not otherwise (e.g. at the end of an abbreviation)
 * So, full point is the char and a declarative sentence ends with a full stop. Or is it more correct to say that full stop and full point both refer to the same character; and that full point always applies but full stop applies only when used to end a sentence?
 * I assume (but am not sure) that a full stop is always rendered as a full point.
 * You're wording is not clear about what full stop means WRT full point. Are you saying that a full point is never considered a full stop _unless_ it ends a sentence? Stevebroshar (talk) 03:38, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

what words are synonymous?
is period synonymous with full stop?

is full point synonymous with: dot? point?

is period NOT synonymous with dot? Stevebroshar (talk) 20:14, 27 May 2024 (UTC)
 * See thread above that is already about this.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  02:21, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Doesn't answer all my questions, no. But, your info is helpful. And I have learned more since I posted the topic.
 * Based on the article and other sources, I think that full stop and period are synonymous (even though that is not made clear in the article). Seems that the latter is used in American English and full stop in other variants.
 * If, as you say, full point is the name of the character (little dot on the baseline), then I think that dot and point also refer to this same character (all three synonymous). The article and other sources say that point is commonly used when describing a number delimiter and dot is commonly used for an alpha delimiter (like in a URL).
 * If, as you say, full stop is more abstract than the character, describing what ends a declarative sentence, then they are not synonymous. And by transitive properties, period is not synonymous with dot. But it's muddied since a period (full stop) is always rendered as a dot (full point). So, sorta synonymous.
 * All that, if correct, should be clearly stated in the article. Stevebroshar (talk) 03:28, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

and continues in much digital media
WRT ''Two word spaces ... This spacing method was gradually replaced by the single space convention in published print, where space is at a premium, and continues in much digital media''

Does it mean: a) single spacing replaced double in print media, _but_ double is still used in digital media; the practice of double continued in digital despite changing in print or b) single spacing replaced double in print media, and single replaced double in digital media too; the pattern of replacement continued from print to digital Stevebroshar (talk) 22:14, 29 May 2024 (UTC)


 * And are we talking about monospaced type (where one and two spaces are clearly distinguishable)? or proportionally spaced type (where the width of a space may not be so clear)? or cleverly [computer] typeset type that plays with the word spacing to avoid crying a river (typography).
 * Citation needed. 𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 22:47, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * I think the section is talking about characters typed at the keyboard regardless of how they are rendered. The section is about that rule I learned in school to put two spaces after a period. But, today we only use one. I assume the text _means_ b, but it is unclear. Stevebroshar (talk) 01:27, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

ASCII value
@JMF WRT change https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Full_stop&diff=1226113725&oldid=1226023003 ASCII value already given, redundant/UNDUE in this list, the ASCII value is not elsewhere. ... Not that the info (ASCII value) is all that important, but am confused by your change comment. Stevebroshar (talk) 22:21, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * A cock-up, not a conspiracy. I was sure I had seen the ASCII code-point mentioned earlier. But where?
 * I suppose I should have reverted but I think that I did the right thing, albeit for the wrong reason. IMO, it would be DUE in an article about the history of Unicode but here it just seems too incidental. Reinstate if you insist, I won't challenge again. --𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 22:40, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * I think it is interesting in that there is one Unicode codepoint that is directly related to the (one and only) ASCII period. It hints that at least for boring English speakers like myself, that Unicode codepoint is the one I should use. Stevebroshar (talk) 01:32, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Clarifying the terms
I'd like to clarify the various terms by adding something like this:

The various terms including full stop, period, dot, point, decimal point, full point, full dot all refer to the same character -- a small, solid dot at the baseline. The terms apply based on context.
 * 1) Full stop and period refer to the character when used to end a sentence; period is more commonly used in North American English and full stop in other English variants
 * 2) Both point and decimal point apply when it delimits two numbers that represent whole and fractional values
 * 3) Point is often used when it delimits numbers (i.e. software version number)
 * 4) Dot (or full dot in a typographical context) applies when used to delimit text (i.e. URL) or [maybe] in any context

---

That Unicode uses the term full stop for the character is a misnomer. Then again, there does not seem to be one term that is without question the name of the character. Stevebroshar (talk) 23:14, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * (I trust that you won't mind that I have changed your bullet points to numbers)
 * I agree with the proposal in principle
 * Agree
 * A correctly-written decimal points is a middot or interpunct ·; using a full stop [sic] for this purpose is a "draft stage" convention.
 * 'Point' is rarely used for "major release" delimiters, eg "X is Twitter two dot oh". But yes for development phases Windows 3.5.3125 is three point five point 3125.
 * The article says that the dot after Dr. in "Dr. Doolittle" is a point.
 * Agree
 * -User:JMF
 * Not following on the middot/interpunct/draft stuff. I guess there are typography issues that are outside what I'm interested in. I'm interesting in the text that I type at a keybaord. ... IDK about Point is rarely used for "major release" delimiters, but it might be rather mixed between point and dot for version numbers. I think I say "two point oh". Hard to know since I'm overthinking it rn. Stevebroshar (talk) 01:36, 31 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Whoops, mid-dot as decimal point is "cultural". According to Glossary of mathematical symbols, mid-dot is a multiplication symbol. Stricken from the record. --𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 09:41, 31 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Whoops, mid-dot as decimal point is "cultural". According to Glossary of mathematical symbols, mid-dot is a multiplication symbol. Stricken from the record. --𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 09:41, 31 May 2024 (UTC)