I suspect it was started by an “honest” politician or a “free” gift.
Fuel was added when people started to make those finger motions in the air to signify quotation marks, imparting a sense of irony or nudge, nudge, wink, wink to the stories they were telling.
Now superfluous quotation marks are “everywhere.”
For editors and other recruits in the ranks of the language police, unneeded quotation marks are laughably obvious and immediately excised. The quotations you see in this newspaper, for example, are the exact words spoken by the person noted. Not cleaned up, chopped up or juiced up. Just words as they were spoken.
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But for amateur and even some professional sign makers, quotation marks are hit-and-miss options that can inadvertently make the most sincere message insincere.
You’ve seen such cases, and admit it, you’ve wondered.
“Experienced” employees.
“Historic” events.
Closed “Monday.”
What does it all mean? Employees with some unmentionable form of experience? Not historic, but pretending to be? Closed maybe Monday but maybe some other day?
Some unneeded quotation marks give us pause, like spring “water,” “local” produce, food service employees must “wash hands,” and Proud to be “Canadian.” In each case, why the quotation marks?
Proliferation of confusing quote marks prompted American university student Bethany Keeley to launch The Blog of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks in late 2007 and it’s still going strong at quotation-marks.blogspot.com.
She and contributors have compiled many hilarious examples. Two are among the most copied.
One is a quote-ridden, hand-lettered sign: “Parents” you are responsible for your “children’s” (safety) do not let them run “free” or “leave” them “unattended” “in shopping carts” while shopping.
The other is much more simple: “President” George W. Bush.
The service industry and retailers seem to be the worst offenders and their messages can be difficult to fathom, even without quotation marks.
However, Charlene Blanchard e-mailed us last week to tell us her five-year-old has cattle sales all figured out.
“One Sunday we were taking a drive through the country and passed a field full of cattle. My five-year-old daughter exclaims that ‘all those cows are for sale!’
“We asked her why she thought they were for sale. She informed us that they all had price tags in their ears.”
That’s a child who understands commerce.
