Standard Punctuation and the Punctuation of the Street

Abstract

This paper concentrates on grammatical punctuation in written street signs using a methodology derived from linguistic landscape research and writing systems research outlined in Cook (2013). The data come from two inner city streets in Newcastle upon Tyne. After outlining the use of punctuation marks in ‘standard’ English, the paper describes the punctuation involved in the different functions of street signs: locating signs use little punctuation except for line-breaks; informing signs have either factual information in lists with from-to dashes and or full ‘standard’ punctuation in announcements; controlling signs have few punctuation marks but a distinctive use of word-initial capital letters; service signs have little grammatical punctuation as they have little structure. The grammar of street signs is largely block grammar noun phrases; their structure is shown more by capital letters and line-breaks than conventional punctuation marks. Overall, street signs show a more sparing use of punctuation marks than ‘standard’ texts, focussed on highlighting phrase divisions, varying according to the function of the sign. The conclusion is that the punctuation of the street is not deviant, illiterate or misguided but a response to the functional needs of those who write and read it.