ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers a sketch of the history of punctuation in the West, identifying some of the broader circumstances which seem to have influenced its development. It analyses the graphic symbols, and deals with their history; of the antecedents of the repertory as well as the ways in which it was refined and augmented with new symbols to meet changing requirements. The book also offers a brief general account of the principal influences which have contributed to the ways in which the symbols have been applied in texts. It focuses on the evidence of practice itself rather than on the views expressed by the theorists, since comparing the usages of different periods helps to isolate those principles which underlie the use of punctuation in all periods. Punctuation became an essential component of written language.
