In British English it is the full stop; American English the period. This punctuation mark has been used centuries to end sentences or abbreviations. It seems that the younger generation today, its use is changing. A report Binghamton University in New York shows the humble full stop is "intimidating" to young people because they view it as a sign anger. This is especially so social media, where many youngsters largely forego the use punctuation, except for a liberal use of exclamation marks. Linguist Professor David Crystal said: "Usage full stops is being 'revised in a really fundamental way'. People simply do not put full stops , unless they want to make a point."
Linguistics experts studied the effect technology the way we use language. Dr Lauren Fonteyn said: "If you send a text message a full stop, it's already obvious that you've concluded the message." She suggested that finished messages full stops are perceived by young people as being insincere. Journalist Victoria Turk wrote: " a messaging conversation, a period is simply not necessary. It's clear when you've finished your thought, so what function does the period fulfill? As a result, using a period messaging...can come across as if you're quite cross or annoyed." She added full stops are being used every word a sentence. She gave the example: "Just. Look. How. Emphatic. This. Is."
