Editing 3143: Question Mark

{{comic
| number    = 3143
| date      = September 17, 2025
| title     = Question Mark
| image     = question_mark_2x.png
| imagesize = 380x463px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Although now people will realize three-per-em space that all this time I've been using weird medium mathematical space whitespace characters in my hair space hair space hair space speech dot dot dot...
}}

==Explanation==
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In colloquial English, the phrase "{{wiktionary|question_mark#Particle|question mark}}" is sometimes{{acn}} added to the end of an interrogative sentence to emphasize its uncertainty, as if the question mark in a written representation of the utterance should be spoken aloud instead of remaining implicit in the {{w|Intonation (linguistics)#English|rising intonation}}, perhaps to reinforce true questions in dialects that exhibit a {{w|high rising terminal}} even for normal statements, or, as in this case, to signal that a sentence is meant to be interrogative despite not following the typical structure of a question. (The phrase “[it is] maybe the greatest movie of all time” is structured like a standard declaration of fact, and so verbalizing the question mark helps clarify that the statement is uncertain and that further discussion is required.) However, when [[Hairy]] does this, [[Cueball]] feels compelled to respond by doing the same with other punctuation marks; and even other matters of formatting, such as typographical emphasis and whitespace, which is strange. However, sometimes the word "period"  is said at the end of a sentence, before a period, to declare that there can be no dispute about what is being stated. An example might be: "That's the end of the matter, we're leaving Friday, period."

Cueball mentions the film ''{{w|Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle}},'' illustrating the common use of italics to indicate titles of films (as well as other works, e.g. books, albums and series, depending on the stylebook used) and colons to separate subtitles from titles. From the context, Hairy and Cueball had differently polarised opinions about the merits of this film.

The title text reads: "Although now people will realize three-per-em space that all this time I've been using weird medium mathematical space whitespace characters in my hair space hair space hair space speech dot dot dot..." Randall uses, and {{tvtropes|ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud|vocalises}}, three different whitespace characters in this statement. Specifically, the three-per-em space (U+2004), the medium mathematical space (U+205F) and the hair space (U+200A). Normally they'd be used for typesetting mathematical formulae and in {{w|microtypography}}, without any expected audible distinction or meaning beyond text-placement and alignment in printed media.

Translated, it looks like:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Characters in title text
| "<span style='white-space: break-spaces;'>Although now people will realize<span style='background-color:#808080;'>&#x2004;</span>that all this time I’ve been using weird<span style='background-color:#808080;'>&#x205f;</span>whitespace characters in my<span style='background-color:#444;'>&#x200a;</span><span style='background-color:#aaa;'>&#x200a;</span><span style='background-color:#444;'>&#x200a;</span>speech...</span>"
|-
! Ordinary whitespace
| "<span style='white-space: break-spaces;'>Although now people will realize<span style='background-color:#808080;'> </span>that all this time I’ve been using weird<span style='background-color:#808080;'> </span>whitespace characters in my<span style='background-color:#808080;'> </span>speech...</span>"
|}

Pronouncing punctuation used to be a staple of {{w|Dictation (exercise)|dictation}}, especially in the 20th century, when secretaries taking dictation to type letters were more commonplace. The expression "…, {{wiktionary|period#Interjection|period}}" or "…, {{wiktionary|full stop#Interjection|full stop}}", taken to mean "…and that's final", originates from this usage.{{acn}} Since Cueball is pronouncing all other punctuation marks as well, his final "period" denotes only the mark and not the common expression, especially since the latter would usually require mention of the comma before and then an ''additional'' spoken "period" after.

The Kooblen, in Phil Foglio's <i>Buck Godot</i> setting, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205448/http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buckcomic.php?date=20070125 speak in this way] to express punctuation.

==Transcript==
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:[Hairy and Cueball are both walking to the right.]
:Hairy: That movie was so good. Maybe even the greatest movie of all time question mark?
:Cueball: Yeah comma, but you said that about italics ''Charlie's Angels Colon: Full Throttle'' period. Paragraph break.
:Cueball: I question your judgment period.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:When people say "question mark" out loud as a rhetorical device, it always makes me want to say my other punctuation and formatting too.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
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[[Category:Movies]]