What do you think about the heavy use of colons and semi-colons?

Question

I like using colons and semi-colons to punctuate what I write, as I feel they afford a greater complexity and sophistication of delivery: they allow you to break-up what you want to say into subtle layers and compartments, while keeping a thread of continuity from the start to the end. So, a whole paragraph may have a certain 'theme', but each sentence could handle a whole 'topic' or 'issue' within that 'theme', and each large clause of that sentence—delimited by colons and semi-colons—can further allow for a slight altering of focus within that sentence. Commas and dashes are then useful for setting the rhythm and layout of those larger clauses. This punctuation-system as a whole allows complex ideas and thought-processes to be delivered to the reader, the integrity and shape of which ideas and concepts would otherwise be butchered without such punctuation, as there wouldn't be enough 'space' for it: a bit like trying to shove an over-sized parcel into a letterbox, or even making a post on an online forum with a character-limit.

It makes writing a bit like computer-programming: continually dividing-out a larger concept or idea into more manageable sections, yet keeping a thread of relationship through them all.

Pretty-much pick any single sentence in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe to get an example of what I mean. I think it's a great style.

Of course, it makes for more difficult reading, and so I don't do it if I think the person I'm writing to won't manage it; but sacrificing the complexity of punctuation then discards some of the content of what one originally wanted to say, as I mentioned above.

Use "What do you think about this style?" as the official question of this post if you're anxious for one.

Answer 1

A colon has a special use that differs from that of the other "structuring" punctuation (full stop, comma, semi-colon): It precedes a list or example and could be replaced by a phrase like "for example" or "and they are as follows". That is, unlike the other three punctuation marks, the colon has a semantic meaning!

Example:

There are three non-semantic punctuation marks: the full stop, the comma, and the semi-colon.

This can be "translated" as:

There are three non-semantic punctuation marks and they are the full stop, the comma, and the semi-colon.

You cannot "translate" (and replace) a comma or semi-colon or full stop in this way.

Similarly, the semi-colon is used in a very specific way and cannot replace a comma or full stop in all instances. A semi-colon connects two independent clauses (while a comma may connect phrases, lists, and dependent clauses) that are closely related in thought (while a full stop may also connect, or rather separate, two sentences that are completely unrelated).

Because their use is very limited, colons and semi-colons will not appear in correctly punctuated text overly frequently. Used correctly, none of the punctuation marks will exert the reader. Instead they will guide them through the text.

What may cause difficulty and mental strain for the reader, though, is the tendency of some writers (like you, in your question) to use colons and semi-colons as an excuse to create over-long, convoluted sentences that tax the reader's mental capacity.

This sentence, for example:

This punctuation-system as a whole allows complex ideas and thought-processes to be delivered to the reader, the integrity and shape of which ideas and concepts would otherwise be butchered without such punctuation, as there wouldn't be enough 'space' for it: a bit like trying to shove an over-sized parcel into a letterbox, or even making a post on an online forum with a character-limit.

would be more easy to process, if you changed it to:

This punctuation-system as a whole allows complex ideas and thought-processes to be delivered to the reader. The integrity and shape of these ideas and concepts would otherwise be butchered without such punctuation, as there wouldn't be enough 'space' for them. A bit like trying to shove an over-sized parcel into a letterbox, or even making a post on an online forum with a character-limit.

Given longer pauses, the impact of the statement of the first sentence is intensified. And the reader is given more time to process and think about each of your propositions. This is important, because – and you must not forget that – your ideas are new to the reader and require deliberation to be understood. Without these full-stop-pauses you run the risk of losing the reader, because they are unable or unwilling to make the effort of juggling the triple strain of memorizing that paragraph-long sentence, understanding your ideas, and contemplating whether they agree.