英语标点符号起源（英文）

The origin of punctuation, is lost in the mists of time We know the Romans had neither punctuation nor spaces between their words and punctuation is not used in China to this day The first known example of punctuation is found in Hamlet which contains most of the simple forms of punctuation An earlier example in an Etruscan love letter is disputed, as it might just be a little heart over the 'i'

Most scientists, believe that punctuation arose through gradual evolution It is speculated that the original punctuation mark was a period formed by a mosquito swatted by an ancient scribe The comma would then naturally arise from a swat which smeared the mosquito a colon from two mosquitos and so on Others however dispute this claim and assert that punctuations suitability for use is clear evidence of intelligent design likely carried out by either Oscar Wilde or the Flying Spaghetti Monster