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Subject:Re: Official name for the @ symbol? From:"Huber, Mike" <mrhuber -at- SOFTWARE -dot- ROCKWELL -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 21 Apr 1999 16:21:06 -0400
> From: Sandra Dixon [mailto:sdixon -at- BBN -dot- COM]
> Is there an official name for the @ symbol, other than the "at sign"?
Does it matter in our work? For most audiences, calling it anything
but "at" will just mean one more pointless detail to learn. For
typography people, there is probably a particular name, and if you
are writing for that audience, you should learn that name.
But the language we are using is a colonial perversion of the
"barbarbar" of a particular band of barbarians who stole words
from everybody. And there is no central authority, no official, to
make any term official.
So the answer is NO. There is no official word in English for '@'
or anything else.
And I like it that way.
But if that is a problem for you, there are languages where there
are official words. Try French. Sounds great, has a lot of literature
and tradition, a nice solid grammar with rules that have more
application than exceptions, and an official standards body to tell
people when they are using it wrong.
---
Office:
mike -dot- huber -at- software -dot- rockwell -dot- com
Home:
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