Query to determine the time value of the ".".

[defacto7]

Punctuation being so important to proper communication, I would like to query DU constituents to determine the proper time value of the "." when used in a sentence for adding a measure of time. For instance in the sentence, "Oh my Horacio, your essence is so.. so... so.... immense and fruitful.". Or, "Hey Jack, How's your.. uh.... you know?" With each "." a certain rest period is added which corresponds to a thought or emotion that can only be filled by empty space.

The question is, what is the time value of "." or how do we determine a concrete absolute of "." so there are no misunderstandings in this veritable garden of valuable communications on DU. Such misunderstanding may have devastating effects on civility, temperament and the universe. [sic]

I pose the following in hopes of saving DU for future... generations:

1 vote, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	"." should be equal to .5 second for the first and 1 second for each that follows.
	0 (0%)
	Each "." should be equal to 1 second.
	0 (0%)
	"." should be exponential doubling with each usage E.G. .5, 1, 2, 4, 8 seconds etc.
	0 (0%)
	The value of "." should be an expression purely from the mind of the beholder.
	1 (100%)
	"." is a fucking waste of time and data space creating backscatter on the Internets and may alert aliens to our position in the solar system.
	0 (0%)
	"." is equal to the time it takes gravity to pull an object in free fall from 10 meters to the ground in a vacuum located in Greenwich England divided by the number of words preceding it in a sentence. If no words precede, then it is assumed to be infinite.
	0 (0%)
	"." is assumed to be the face of Pikachu and should be determined by the time it takes for light to travel from Tokyo to NYC x Pi.
	0 (0%)
	Defacto7 has completely lost his mind.
	0 (0%)
	I "." that I "." (biblical reference)
	0 (0%)
	It's just a damn dot... period.
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[NV Whino]

1. You entire post is invalid

Since you are referring to ellipses rather than periods.

[defacto7]

2. Ah,

You are referring to "..." the ellipse consisting of 3 dots, the legal version being 4 dots thus, "....". The OP is referring to the use of dots as a time element rather than the ellipse which represents an omitted word, phrase, or an unlimited text omission meant to arrive at the point quickly.

Any number of "." from one to thousands are used in Internet communication as a pause or time delay.

It's a brave new world where old definitions are expanded to include the light of electronic digitry. <- new word though not a new formal name.

BTW, I didn't mention those dots as periods, id est ".". In #10 the word "period" was irony.

(just having fun here)

[NV Whino]

5. The three dots are an ellipses

Ellipses is a unit and, on a Mac, is activated by "option semicolon." (No idea what a Pc requires.) The fourth dot is a period, if the ellipses come at the end of a sentence, otherwise it is only three dots. All of which go inside any quotation marks.

And brave new digital world be damned. It simply doesn't work graphically/visually if you use individual periods. Those wonderful things called computers break up individual dots and sometimes distribute them on different lines, making the poster/writer look the fool.

As to the indication of time, really, you don't need more than an ellipses to indicate a pause or the inference of absent words.

[defacto7]

7. Interesting...

I don't know why I'm doing this... but...

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/ellipses.asp

"A four-dot method and an even more rigorous method used in legal works"

Oh well....

BTW, in PC it depends on the OS not the hardware. it can be whatever shortcut I desire but I have no problem pushing a key 3 times... or 4 if I'm doing a rigorous legal document.

As far as a fool is concerned, I don't get so worried about dots that I think calling someone a fool for not being you is required. A fool is as a fool perceives.

And.. ellipsis singular, ellipses plural as in, "an ellipsis is" or "ellipses are"

[NV Whino]

12. Thanks for the correction.

And.. ellipsis singular, ellipses plural as in, "an ellipsis is" or "ellipses are"

I put together a lot of books and get totally frustrated removing excess periods and replacing them with ellipses. Justified paragraphs play hell with individual periods. Ellipsis is a unit for a reason.

[defacto7]

14. OK!

I get your point! I don't always think in terms of what other people may have to deal with on a regular basis.

[Wait Wut]

3. Pass.

Once I started thinking about it, I lost track of the question and wondered why the hell I was thinking about it.

[defacto7]

9. Believe me...

It's not worth it!

[Wait Wut]

11. ?

Thinking or wondering about thinking? I think that's what they run subliminally on FOX. "It's not worth it to think. It's not worth it to think. It's not worth it to think."

[Chan790]

4. non-specific.

They don't correspond to the passage of time in measurable quantity but to breaks in thought or cadence. That's the official answer used to discuss both the use of "." and "..." in poetry classes in discussion of rhythm.

You're. So happy. (read it like Shatner) isn't specifically longer or shorter of a pause than those in "I...am so out of...breath." (read it like you can't catch your breath.)

[defacto7]

10. Cool...

But Someone has to do something about all those "..................." They must mean... something...

[rug]

6. When encountering a period, one should pause until it's safe.

[defacto7]

8. Ha...

Like crossing the street!

[petronius]

13. Depends - is that a metric (SI) or an Imperial "."? And either way, relativity

would suggest that the velocity of the reader vis a vis the velocity of the writer would influence the perceived temporal space occupied by the "." ...

[defacto7]

15. I never thought of that!

Hmmm....

#11

[Kali]

16. ...

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I miss MFM.

[Skittles]

17. I WILL KICK "."-ING DEFACTO ASS

YES INDEED

[defacto7]

18. I know I deserve it.

Anyone who posts a stupid OP like this deserves a Skittles ass kicking.

You can kick me right in the "."s if you think I'm... worthy.

[Skittles]

19. LET ME DETERMINE THE TIME VALUE

I WILL GET BACK TO YOU

[krispos42]

20. one-third of the "-"

Well, what do you want from me? I have a ham radio license!

[defacto7]

21. -.-.--.- -.-.--.-

[bluesbassman]

22. Got into the cat's stash again, did we?

Don't worry, the effects are not permanent.

[defacto7]

23. Whew!