“Blog Entry”
Posted in Notes
A small rant: I’ve never been a fan of scare quotes. Used sparingly, they can be useful, I suppose; I just think a careful writer can usually find a better way to alert readers that a term is being used in a nonstandard, ironic, or otherwise “special” sense (see what I did there? Aren’t I “clever”?).
Sometimes, though, quotation marks are just straight-up misused, and the results are confounding:
At the entrance to the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, there is a welcome sign that uses quotation marks the phrase “Enjoy Your Visit.” Used properly, the quotation marks would indicate that the words are not being used in their usual sense. So what does the Nebraska Games and Parks Commission know that we don’t? The sign seems to be saying, “Pretend to enjoy your visit,” or something more sinister like, “Enjoy your visit, suckers!”
More troubling in its improper use of quotation marks, though, was Ian’s recent prescription for antibiotics. The instructions read, “Shake liquid well and give ‘Ian’ 4 ml by mouth twice daily for 10 days. Discard remainder.” Well, I’m not sure who or what they meant by “Ian” (fake Ian? wink-wink nudge-nudge Ian?), so we just gave regular Ian the meds.
And not to be obnoxious, but a little tip that might actually be helpful for some: when you use the word so-called, scare quotes are redundant (i.e., “my so-called life,” not “my so-called ‘life’”).
Comments
RT
Scare quotes? I’m scared. I’ve never heard of that term, dearest editor friend of mine. Are there other names for other types of quotes? “Educate” me.
PS. If you’re nearby “Ian,” please hug him for me.
PPS. Okay, now I’m getting all paranoid about quotes and commas. Did I use them correctly in the first PS?
PPSS. And now I’m all paranoid about the faux PS’s. I’m sure that’s all wrong, too. (Don’t judge me!)
Jen
Poo. “Terrified” to comment.
Bethany
Maybe they were actual quotation marks on the sign? As in, some unidentified official person was actually saying, “Enjoy your visit”?
My guess on the prescription label is that the pharmacist was skeptical that you were actually procuring the drugs for Ian, assuming instead that you intended to sell them on the antibiotic black market. Therefore he/she included instructions for “Ian.”
No?
Marc Koenig
I’d go with Bethany in saying that if the quotes on the sign are to be taken as anything other than a solecism, it’d be that someone specific is implied to be telling you to enjoy the visit (it’d be helpful, for instance, if Smoky the Bear was featured on or near the sign), or that someone park-related is known to habitually tell people to enjoy their visits, and therefore, is quoted relevantly on the sign for this circumstance. Either way it’s pretty ungainly.
I like the ‘enjoy your visit, suckers’ interpretation.
On the Ian thing… maybe she’s suspicious or she’s just doing it to clarify that ‘Ian’ is the specific name you mentioned as the recipient (so it’s sort of like a quote)? I often use single quotes around terms and specific words when I talk of them individually, separate from an actual contexts where they’re used. (Eg. What I mean by ‘terms’ in the previous sentence is…) I don’t know. I’d agree in saying that quotes are typically best avoided unless actually quoting, since there are more subtle alternatives, unless you’re in a real-life circumstance when you don’t think a knowing wink will do the trick.
Kerri
I’m just guessing on the antibiotics thing, but it is probably something set up in their system that is trying to personalize each ‘scrip, and is set up wrong (i.e. inserting single quotes around the patient’s name instead of just having the name itself).
But I agree—unnecessary quotes are quite annoying.
Almost as annoying as the wrong usage of it’s and its.
p.s. What does it say about our family that three of the comments so far are from us? (English geeks!)
Brook
“I really like your ‘post’, ‘Renae’”.
P.S. Semicolons scare me.
Sarah M
This post and all commentators made me laugh. I’ve seen signs around Nebraska State Parks with the picture you took and I think it means what you imagined, “Enjoy your visit, suckers!”
Sarah M
Rachel
Had to laugh at this one. When I learned Renae was an editor, I was always afraid she would be checking my punctuation or wording. Finally just decided to be myself, errors and all. But I get irritated when I see people using wrong grammar or punctuation myself. As to Ian, give the real Ian a hug from nana. Love you.
shelli
Your posts make me laugh and smile. Do you feel the same about when people use quotation marks with their hands?
also, how are we doing on our goals for 2011? did you even send them to me?:)
i thought you might have friends in Japan? if so, are they okay? when you traveled there were you near the earthquake sites?
let’s talk on the phone soon. love you.