In typography, a dinkus is a typographic symbol which often consists of three spaced asterisks in a horizontal row, i.e. ∗∗∗. The symbol has a variety of uses, and it usually denotes an intentional omission or a logical "break" of varying degree in a written work. This latter use is similar to a subsection, and it indicates to the reader that the subsequent text should be re-contextualized. When used this way, the dinkus typically appears centrally aligned on a line of its own with vertical spacing before and after the symbol. The dinkus has been in use in various forms since c. 1850.[1][2] Historically, the dinkus was often represented as an asterism, ⁂, though this use has fallen out of favor and is now nearly obsolete.[3]
Three asterisks used as a dinkus in the James Huneker novel Painted Veils. In this case, it is being used to accentuate the end of a particularly racy chapter, priming the reader for the change in tone.
The dinkus is used for various purposes, but many of them are related to an intentional break in the flow of the text.
Subsection break
A dinkus can be used to accentuate a break between subsections of a single overarching section.[4] When an author chooses to use a dinkus to divide a larger section,[5][6] the intent is to maintain an overall sense of continuity within the overall chapter or section while changing elements of the setting or timeline.[7][8] For instance, when the writer is introducing a flashback or other jarring scene change, a dinkus can help denote the change in setting within the overall theme of the chapter; in that case, it can be preferable to the initiation of a new chapter.[9] This technique is used especially in literary fiction.[7][9]
Many applications of the dinkus, including those that were common historically, have indicated intentional omission of information.[1] In these cases, the dinkus is used to inform the reader that the information has been omitted.[2] It can also be used to mean "untitled" or that the author or title was withheld. This is evident, for example, in some editions of Album for the Young by composer Robert Schumann (№ 21, 26, and 30).[10]
A dinkus can also be used in any context as a simple means of abbreviation of any text.[8] The dinkus is also used specifically in this capacity within the sphere of lawmaking, particularly for city ordinances. When used in legal text, the dinkus indicates an abbreviation within amendments to code while not implying the repeal of the omitted sections.[11]
Ornamentation
Newspapers, magazines, and other works can use dinkuses as simple ornamentation of typography, for solely aesthetic reasons.[12] When a dinkus is used primarily for aesthetic purposes, it often takes the form of a fleuron, e.g. ❧, or sometimes a dingbat.[13] While fleurons, dingbats, and dinkuses are usually distinct, their uses can overlap.
Poetic symbolism
In some cases, the use of a dinkus has been employed in poetry in order to convey non-verbal meaning. This is exemplified in the poem Thresholes by Lara Mimosa Montes, in which the poet makes frequent use of a circular dinkus, ○ , as a form of "punctuation at the level of the full text, rather than the phrase or the sentence" throughout the course of the work.[14]
Variations
Many variations of dinkuses are composed partially or entirely of asterisks, although other symbols can be used to achieve the same goals. Some examples include a series of dots,[15][16]fleurons,[16]asterisms, straight horizontal lines, and various other figures, such as infinity symbols.[17]Esperanto Braille punctuation commonly uses a series of colons, ⠒⠒⠒, as a dinkus.
Gallery
Uses of dinkuses in literary works
A Polish translation of a French work depicting the use of a series of dots as a dinkus. The dinkus is used to separate the translator's notes from the text.
A combination of a fleuron and line-shaped dinkus in the same Polish work.
Mrs. Henry Wood's 19th century novel exemplifying a line shaped dinkus with a central diamond used as a chapter break.
Photograph of a German novel, Infinite Adventures, which uses an infinity symbol in triplicate as a dinkus.
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, in a print of indeterminate age, features dinkuses in the form of asterisks used to form a field of stars.
Ulysses by James Joyce uses an asterism as a dinkus in earlier prints, while newer editions replace it with three horizontal asterisks.
In Australian English, particularly in the news media, the word "dinkus" refers to a small photograph of the author of a news article.[19][20] Outside of Australia, this is often referred to as a headshot.
References
^ abA comprehensive system of grammatical and rhetorical punctuation by Consul Willshire Butterford. 1858. Page 37, page 40. Published by Cincinnati: Longley Brothers.
^ abShady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston. 2013
^Radim Peško, Louis Lüthi (2007). Dot Dot Dot 13, p. 193. Stuart Bailey, Peter Bilak, eds. ISBN978-90-77620-07-6.
^The Christian Writer's Manual of Style by Robert Hudson. 2010. p. 386
^"D'Alliage à Avertissement — Orthotypographie, de Jean-Pierre Lacroux (Lexique des règles typographiques françaises)". www-orthotypographie-fr.translate.goog.
^ abThe Australian Editing Handbook, By Elizabeth Flann, Beryl Hill, Lan Wang. 2014.
^ ab"Five Ways I Hate Your Dinkus | Self-Publishing Review". www.selfpublishingreview.com. August 26, 2021.
^Taruskin, Richard (2005). The Oxford history of western music, Volume 3, p. 311. ISBN978-0-19-516979-9.
^"Did You Know? The Dinkus". Municode - Powered by CivicPlus.
^Digital Sub-Editing and Design by Stephen Quinn. 2012.
^Bringhurst, Robert (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style (third ed.). Hartley & Marks, Publishers. p. 63, 290-291. ISBN978-0-88179-206-5. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
^Gabbert, Elisa (December 29, 2020). "How Poets Use Punctuation as a Superpower and a Secret Weapon". The New York Times.
^Lundmark, Torbjorn (2002). Quirky Qwerty: the story of the keyboard @ your fingertips. University of New South Wales. p. 120. ISBN9780868404363.
^ abDavid Crystal (2016). Making a Point: The Pernickety Story of English Punctuation. London Profile Books. ISBN9781781253519.
^James Phillip McAuley (1964). Quadrant. Vol. 8. H.R. Krygier. p. 33 https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/1964/. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^Elizabeth Hafkin Pleck (2001). Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and Family Rituals. Harvard University Press. p. 90. ISBN9780674002302.
^"Infinite Anthology". The Monthly. August 5, 2010.
^Sadokierski, Zoe. "Why The Saturday Paper's design breeds disappointment". The Conversation.
Further reading
Daisy Alioto's analysis of the dinkus in The Paris Review: Ode to the Dinkus.
April 20, 2023
dinkus, confused, with, dingus, dingbat, typography, dinkus, typographic, symbol, which, often, consists, three, spaced, asterisks, horizontal, symbol, variety, uses, usually, denotes, intentional, omission, logical, break, varying, degree, written, work, this. Not to be confused with dingus or dingbat In typography a dinkus is a typographic symbol which often consists of three spaced asterisks in a horizontal row i e The symbol has a variety of uses and it usually denotes an intentional omission or a logical break of varying degree in a written work This latter use is similar to a subsection and it indicates to the reader that the subsequent text should be re contextualized When used this way the dinkus typically appears centrally aligned on a line of its own with vertical spacing before and after the symbol The dinkus has been in use in various forms since c 1850 1 2 Historically the dinkus was often represented as an asterism though this use has fallen out of favor and is now nearly obsolete 3 Three asterisks used as a dinkus in the James Huneker novel Painted Veils In this case it is being used to accentuate the end of a particularly racy chapter priming the reader for the change in tone This article contains uncommon Unicode characters Without proper rendering support you may see question marks boxes or other symbols instead of the intended characters Contents 1 Usage 1 1 Subsection break 1 2 Intentionally omitted information 1 3 Ornamentation 1 4 Poetic symbolism 2 Variations 2 1 Gallery 3 Other uses of the term dinkus 4 References 5 Further readingUsage EditThe dinkus is used for various purposes but many of them are related to an intentional break in the flow of the text Subsection break Edit A dinkus can be used to accentuate a break between subsections of a single overarching section 4 When an author chooses to use a dinkus to divide a larger section 5 6 the intent is to maintain an overall sense of continuity within the overall chapter or section while changing elements of the setting or timeline 7 8 For instance when the writer is introducing a flashback or other jarring scene change a dinkus can help denote the change in setting within the overall theme of the chapter in that case it can be preferable to the initiation of a new chapter 9 This technique is used especially in literary fiction 7 9 Intentionally omitted information Edit See also Ellipsis Many applications of the dinkus including those that were common historically have indicated intentional omission of information 1 In these cases the dinkus is used to inform the reader that the information has been omitted 2 It can also be used to mean untitled or that the author or title was withheld This is evident for example in some editions of Album for the Young by composer Robert Schumann 21 26 and 30 10 A dinkus can also be used in any context as a simple means of abbreviation of any text 8 The dinkus is also used specifically in this capacity within the sphere of lawmaking particularly for city ordinances When used in legal text the dinkus indicates an abbreviation within amendments to code while not implying the repeal of the omitted sections 11 Ornamentation Edit Newspapers magazines and other works can use dinkuses as simple ornamentation of typography for solely aesthetic reasons 12 When a dinkus is used primarily for aesthetic purposes it often takes the form of a fleuron e g or sometimes a dingbat 13 While fleurons dingbats and dinkuses are usually distinct their uses can overlap Poetic symbolism Edit In some cases the use of a dinkus has been employed in poetry in order to convey non verbal meaning This is exemplified in the poem Thresholes by Lara Mimosa Montes in which the poet makes frequent use of a circular dinkus as a form of punctuation at the level of the full text rather than the phrase or the sentence throughout the course of the work 14 Variations EditMany variations of dinkuses are composed partially or entirely of asterisks although other symbols can be used to achieve the same goals Some examples include a series of dots 15 16 fleurons 16 asterisms straight horizontal lines and various other figures such as infinity symbols 17 Esperanto Braille punctuation commonly uses a series of colons as a dinkus Gallery Edit Uses of dinkuses in literary works A Polish translation of a French work depicting the use of a series of dots as a dinkus The dinkus is used to separate the translator s notes from the text A combination of a fleuron and line shaped dinkus in the same Polish work Mrs Henry Wood s 19th century novel exemplifying a line shaped dinkus with a central diamond used as a chapter break Photograph of a German novel Infinite Adventures which uses an infinity symbol in triplicate as a dinkus Lewis Carroll s Alice in Wonderland in a print of indeterminate age features dinkuses in the form of asterisks used to form a field of stars Ulysses by James Joyce uses an asterism as a dinkus in earlier prints while newer editions replace it with three horizontal asterisks Other uses of the term dinkus EditSee also Smigus dyngus Among older Hungarian Americans and Polish Americans dinkus is an archaic term for Easter Monday 18 In Australian English particularly in the news media the word dinkus refers to a small photograph of the author of a news article 19 20 Outside of Australia this is often referred to as a headshot References Edit a b A comprehensive system of grammatical and rhetorical punctuation by Consul Willshire Butterford 1858 Page 37 page 40 Published by Cincinnati Longley Brothers a b Shady Characters The Secret Life of Punctuation Symbols and Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston 2013 Radim Pesko Louis Luthi 2007 Dot Dot Dot 13 p 193 Stuart Bailey Peter Bilak eds ISBN 978 90 77620 07 6 The News Manual Glossary www thenewsmanual net The Christian Writer s Manual of Style by Robert Hudson 2010 p 386 D Alliage a Avertissement Orthotypographie de Jean Pierre Lacroux Lexique des regles typographiques francaises www orthotypographie fr translate goog a b The Australian Editing Handbook By Elizabeth Flann Beryl Hill Lan Wang 2014 a b Orthotypographie by Jean Pierre Lacroux a b Five Ways I Hate Your Dinkus Self Publishing Review www selfpublishingreview com August 26 2021 Taruskin Richard 2005 The Oxford history of western music Volume 3 p 311 ISBN 978 0 19 516979 9 Did You Know The Dinkus Municode Powered by CivicPlus Digital Sub Editing and Design by Stephen Quinn 2012 Bringhurst Robert 2004 The Elements of Typographic Style third ed Hartley amp Marks Publishers p 63 290 291 ISBN 978 0 88179 206 5 Retrieved 10 November 2020 Gabbert Elisa December 29 2020 How Poets Use Punctuation as a Superpower and a Secret Weapon The New York Times Lundmark Torbjorn 2002 Quirky Qwerty the story of the keyboard your fingertips University of New South Wales p 120 ISBN 9780868404363 a b David Crystal 2016 Making a Point The Pernickety Story of English Punctuation London Profile Books ISBN 9781781253519 James Phillip McAuley 1964 Quadrant Vol 8 H R Krygier p 33 https quadrant org au magazine 1964 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Missing or empty title help Elizabeth Hafkin Pleck 2001 Celebrating the Family Ethnicity Consumer Culture and Family Rituals Harvard University Press p 90 ISBN 9780674002302 Infinite Anthology The Monthly August 5 2010 Sadokierski Zoe Why The Saturday Paper s design breeds disappointment The Conversation Further reading EditDaisy Alioto s analysis of the dinkus in The Paris Review Ode to the Dinkus Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dinkus amp oldid 1149721401, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
