Summarised by Centrist
The semicolon is vanishing from British writing; it once connected complex thoughts with elegance and clarity. Now it hovers on the brink of extinction.
A new survey by Babbel reveals its usage has dropped sharply; confusion appears to be the driving force.
In partnership with the London Student Network, Babbel surveyed UK students and analysed literary trends; the results point to a 50 percent decline in semicolon usage over two decades.
In 1781, one appeared every 90 words; by 2000, that dropped to once every 205; today, you’ll find only one every 390 words.
The quiz, co-authored by linguist Lisa McLendon, tested real-world punctuation scenarios; students scored just 49 percent on average; over half didn’t know when to replace a comma with a semicolon.
Though only 11 percent said they use semicolons often, 67 percent believe they still have value; this suggests a hesitation to misuse rather than an outright dismissal.
As Babbel’s Sofia Zambelli put it: “Our findings reveal that the semicolon is an ‘endangered’ punctuation mark; abandoned by many British writers who might have been expected to showcase its value; misunderstood by younger generations.”
Image: Mauricio Balvanera
