Question mark

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Punctus interrogativus from Bern, Bürgerbibliothek Cod. 162, f. 15r

Question opening-closing

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Arabic Question mark (RTL)

Question mark (?) is a punctuation mark that indicates an interrogative sentence or phrase in many languages. The question mark is not used for indirect questions. The symbol is also often referred to as an interrogation point, query, or eroteme.

History

The origin of the question mark is believed to be from the Latin word quaestio, meaning "question", which was abbreviated during the Middle Ages in manuscripts to "qo". The symbol itself was eventually formed from a stylized lowercase q over which a small o was placed. Over time, this notation evolved into the modern question mark we recognize today.

Usage

In English and many other languages, the question mark is used at the end of a sentence to denote a direct question. It may also be used within a sentence to indicate a question, particularly in informal writing. The placement of a question mark is influenced by various grammar rules and stylistic guidelines. For example, in English, the question mark is placed inside quotation marks if it is part of the quoted material, and outside if it is not.

Typographic Variations

Different typographic styles and languages may use variations of the question mark. For instance, in Spanish, an inverted question mark (¿) is used at the beginning of a question, in addition to the standard question mark at the end. This helps to convey that a sentence is a question from the very start. Other languages, such as Arabic and Greek, have their own unique question marks.

In Computing

In computer science and digital communication, the question mark has various functions. It is often used in programming languages to denote conditional statements or expressions. In URLs, a question mark is used to separate the path and the query string. It also appears in wildcards and regular expressions to represent zero or one occurrences of the preceding element.

Cultural Significance

The question mark is not just a punctuation mark; it has cultural and philosophical significance as well. It represents inquiry, doubt, and the pursuit of knowledge. In literature and art, the question mark can symbolize the unknown, mystery, or a challenge to conventional beliefs.

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