From: Jon Hanna (jon@hackcraft.net)
Date: Fri Apr 01 2005 - 15:11:01 CST
> Interrobang seems so much english (where the exclamation
> point is *sometimes* called "bang" in computer jargon used by
> users of some OS'es were it served as a special syntaxic mark
> for quoting an Unix command within Emacs)....
That is in turn from printer jargon. Printers of course have jargon for many
characters that has evolved to be relatively unambiguous when spoken next to
noisy printing equipment. It is probably from printer jargon (or perhaps
proof-reader or typesetter jargon derived from it) that the bang in
interrobang derives.
The mixture of Latin and Jargon of Scandinavian origin seems perfectly
appropriate for the symbol's name to me.
Regards,
Jon Hanna
Work: <http://www.selkieweb.com/>
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