this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Em dashes and emojis

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[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 4 points 49 minutes ago* (last edited 48 minutes ago)

Every user of the em dash on the planet is in this comment section.

[–] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 hour ago

I use those when writing literature, but because in Spanish it is what we use for dialogs.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (2 children)

Breakup via text is a blocked for life. Cowards don’t deserve your time

[–] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 hour ago (2 children)

I never got what's the deal with that. Sincerely. If there's a break up, what's the difference doing it by text, phone or in person.

My gut says me that people may prefer in person because they saw a better chance of avoid the breakup that way, but I'm not sure.

Other than that if it's over it's over, I don't see the media in which the message is deliver. For all I care as if it's via smoke signals.

[–] Deme@sopuli.xyz 2 points 25 minutes ago* (last edited 22 minutes ago)

I think its basic courtesy to put even a little effort to something as important as a breakup. Not doing it face to face or at least in a call removes the interaction completely. It's taking the easiest possible path in a situation that will certainly affect the other person in a significant manner. It's cold. Using a LLM for said text like in the meme is even lower effor and leaves the recipient feeling utterly worthless. Basically the same thing as getting fired via email.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 3 points 41 minutes ago (1 children)

It's about respect for the other person, as I see it. You wouldn't be a little miffed if your wife of 10 years sent you a "k thx bai (link to divorce papers)" instead of talking in person?

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 1 points 36 minutes ago

I would fetch my divorce attorney shovel.

[–] napkin2020@sh.itjust.works 1 points 44 minutes ago

I figured out that this works as a guilt for a lot of people who were abused in a relationship.

Call them, text them, or even better, ghost their ass if they ever toxic. You're more than fine with that.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Gemini, Siri, Alexa... break up with everyone! Send.

[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

*ChatGPT, Co-Pilot, etc.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 4 points 2 hours ago

When you never had a she (=

[–] ftbd@feddit.org 24 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Dunstabzugshaubitze@feddit.org 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

do they serve a purpose, that is not fulfilled by the humble ","?

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 15 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Yes, it's nuanced but it breaks up the sentence flow in a different way. Also used for listing things. A comma is more a small pause, like this. A semicolon is used to differentiate two independent related thoughts ; it's kind of a combination between a period and a comma. A dash can be used for many things - a longer separating of thoughts, listing different points such as this, or just as an intentional emphasis to add a more protracted pause.

[–] Dunstabzugshaubitze@feddit.org 11 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

aah, so it's more a choice about the intended sound or flow of a text and not necessary a difference in grammatic constructs, simmiliar to using an oxford comma, or not.

interesting, i'll have to pay some attention to that, when reading.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

It gives rhythm and flavor to your writing. Varied punctuation - where appropriate - is an easy way to spice anything up, give it a little more flavor, more control over how your words are read. There is a quote by Gary Provost that isn't specifically about punctuation but illustrates this point well, it's one of my favorites:

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Damn. That's actually really cool.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 hour ago

Right? The written word is its own kind of instrument and I dig it

[–] TheCleric@lemmy.org 37 points 4 hours ago (7 children)

You people think em dashes are proof of AI?

Jesus Christ that’s so fucking sad.

[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 3 points 53 minutes ago

You are vastly underestimating the amount of people who don't use em dashes at all.

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 28 points 3 hours ago (5 children)

Most normal people, at least from my understanding, don't use em dashes in text messages, let alone even use punctuation half the time. So if I see em dashes, yeah, my first thought is going straight to AI.

[–] bigpetey@lemmy.wtf 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I’m a fiend for a dash - they’re just better

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 1 points 6 minutes ago

If you were actually a fiend for dashes, you'd have used an em dash—not used a hyphen as a stand-in for one.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

I used to :(

[–] shneancy@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

i use those a lot to indicate that i finished a thought rapidly (in most cases)

like "what the fu—"

[–] Ziglin@lemmy.world 6 points 3 hours ago

I don't use em dashes but I do use punctuation (apparently some people find that passive aggressive and I don't what to do). When someone else uses punctuation I just ignore it unless it doesn't match their previous messages.

[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 4 points 3 hours ago

Annoyingly I've used them for a number of years as a good way to make internet comments flow a bit more. However I find myself doing it less and less now because I'm worried people are just going to think I'm using an AI if they see an em dash.

(You just long press dash on android to get to it, opt+shift+dash on Mac, and the admittedly Byzantine alt+0151 on windows. Can't remember iOS off the top of my head, but I think it's similar to android)

[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Yes. and your ignorance is sad.

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 30 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

Indeed—your assertion is entirely accurate—the mere presence of em dashes within a text does not—in and of itself—serve as definitive proof of artificial intelligence authorship. This grammatical construct—a versatile and often elegant punctuation mark—can be employed by any writer—human or machine—to achieve various stylistic and semantic effects. Its utility—whether for emphasis—for setting off parenthetical thoughts—or for indicating a sudden break in thought—is undeniable.

However—it is also true that—when analyzing patterns across vast datasets—certain stylistic tendencies can emerge. An AI—programmed to process and generate language based on extensive training corpora—might—through statistical correlation and optimization—exhibit a propensity for specific linguistic features. This isn't—to be clear—a conscious choice by the AI—there's no inherent preference for em dashes encoded within its fundamental algorithms. Rather—it's a reflection of the patterns it has learned—the statistical likelihood of certain elements appearing together.

So—while an em dash does not independently declare "I am AI"—its consistent and perhaps slightly overzealous deployment—alongside other less tangible but equally discernible patterns—might—for a discerning observer—suggest an origin beyond human hands. It's about the entire tapestry—not just a single thread. It's about the aggregate—the cumulative effect—the subtle statistical fingerprint. And that—I believe—is a distinction worth making.

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 26 points 4 hours ago

I honestly don't know if this is hand written or not, and that makes it even funnier.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 3 hours ago (3 children)

How the hell do you even type an em dash?

I'm sure it's possible (I know it's easy on a touch keyboard), but if the person who sent it has never used em dashes in their life, then it's pretty definitive proof. Otherwise, it's just a big clue that you might combine with other factors.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 1 points 1 minute ago

On a mobile phone it's super easy. Long press the hyphen button and swipe over to the dash.

On Mac it's pretty easy still, but requires a little more knowledge. Option-shift-dash. (Without the shift gives you an en dash.)

On Windows it's the completely arcane alt-0151, and only possible if you have a numpad. I memorised it like 15 years ago and have regularly used it since, but it's hard to blame people for not doing so.

No idea about Linux.

[–] urandom@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

You use use the compose key with a sequence of characters. Mine is right alt, so it's gonna be:

right alt, then -, then -, then -

[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 1 points 50 minutes ago

Considering that a comma has its own button, it's no wonder which one is preferred.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 7 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Word and Google docs will translate them from --

They'll also give you the stupid smart quotes.

I've never break up with anybody over text but if for some reason I had to I would certainly write it on a computer first.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 3 hours ago

Fair point. It's still a red flag (in more ways than one!) but I accept it's not definitive.

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[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 15 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Isn't "It's not you, it's me" the ultimate example of parallel sentence structure? Lol

But let's be real, it's more like...

💔 Here's three reasons reasons we're breaking up:

  • Our personalities don't match-- according to (made up citation) people with you type are toxic.
  • Your idiology doesn't match mine-- you don't believe in White South African genocide.
  • We aren't compatible-- our personalities aren't complimentary.

And so on. Lol

[–] copd@lemmy.world 12 points 4 hours ago

There needs to be a "what you can do" with a green tick emoji

[–] JaymesRS@literature.cafe 54 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

You can pry my em dashes — which I use regularly in writing because I love them— from my cold dead hands (To be fair, I really like parenthetical statements too, could be an ADHD thing).

[–] potoo22@programming.dev 19 points 6 hours ago

You're providing a thought (and a bonus thought)

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[–] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 41 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Many input mechanisms automatically substitute two hyphens with "–".

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 25 points 7 hours ago (5 children)

Including this very platform.

Lemmy will automatically render a double dash -- as an en dash, and a triple dash


as an em dash.

I usually just type alt + 0151, though, because I'm a nerd.

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[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 12 points 6 hours ago

I'm so sorry your chat bot broke up with you :(

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