A full stop is used at the end of an idea or thought, and is an important rule in proper grammar.
句號用在一個意思或想法的結束處，這在語法中是一個重要的原則。

But text messages are changing the rules, as a new study finds digital messages ending with one aren't sincere.
但是短信的使用正在改變這些規則。最新研究表明，帶句號的短信顯得不真誠。

The results suggest skipping punctuation altogether, as it indicates you are answering spontaneously and heartfelt.
該研究認為，發信息時應該略去所有的標點符號，因為這樣才顯得你的回復自然、走心。

Binghamton University’s Harpur College observed 126 students, who read a series of messages displayed as texts on a screen or handwritten notes on loose-leaf paper, which were similar to notes students passed around before texting was available.
美國賓厄姆頓大學哈波學院對126名學生進行了試驗，讓他們閱讀顯示在屏幕上的短信或者寫在活頁上的便簽（類似短信出現前，學生們傳信息時常用的那種）。

In the 16 experimental exchanges, the sender’s message contained a statement followed by an invitation phrased as a question such as, ‘Dave gave me his extra ticket. Wanna come?’
在這16組試驗中，發送者發出去的短信含一個陳述句及一個問句邀請，比如，“戴夫把多出的一張票給我了，你去嗎？”

The receiver then gave a one-word response like ‘Okay’, ‘Sure’, ‘Yeah’ or ‘Yup’.
收信者給出一個詞的回復，比如“好啊”、“當然可以”、“嗯”或者“好噠”。

Half of the participants’ responses were with a full stop and the other half did not use it.
受試者中有一半人的回復以句號結尾，另一半則沒有。

Based on the responses, text messages that ended with a full stop were rated less sincere than text messages that did not end with a period.
根據反饋，以句號結尾的短信被認為不如不帶句號的真誠。

The students who read the notes on the paper reported that full stop or not, they felt the message was sincere.
而閱讀便簽的受試者則認為，不管有沒有句號，內容都是一樣的真誠。

These results suggest that punctuation can misconstrue or influence the meaning of text messages.
該結果表明，標點可以使短信的意思被曲解或受到影響。

The study concludes, ‘not so much that the period is used to convey a lack of sincerity in text messages, but that punctuation is one of the cues used by senders, and understood by receivers, to convey pragmatic and social information.’
研究總結道，“與其說句號使短信顯得缺乏真誠，不如說標點是發送者使用、接受者所理解的線索之一，這種線索透露出實用的交流信息。”

‘Texting is lacking many of the social cues used in actual face-to-face conversations,’ said Celia Klin, associate professor of psychology and associate dean at Binghamton University’s Harpur College.
“短信中少了許多面對面交流才有的交流線索，”賓厄姆頓大學哈波學院副院長、心理學副教授西莉亞·科林如是說。

‘When speaking, people easily convey social and emotional information with eye gaze, facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses, and so on.’
“面對面講話時，借助眼神、面部表情、語調、停頓等線索，人們能很容易傳達出交流信息和情緒信息?！?/p>

‘People obviously can't use these mechanisms when they are texting.’
“很明顯，發短信時沒有這些媒介。”

‘Thus, it makes sense that texters rely on what they have available to them -- emoticons, deliberate misspellings that mimic speech sounds and, according to our data, punctuation.’
“因此，發送方就需要依靠現有的東西——‘表情符號’、‘借用錯別字擬聲’以及我們剛剛通過數據指出的‘標點符號’。”

Recently, Klin’s team conducted a follow-up study and found that text response with an exclamation mark is interpreted as more sincere.
最近，科林的團隊還進行了一個補充研究。研究發現，帶有感嘆號的回復被認為更真誠。

‘That's not surprising, but it broadens our claim,’ said Klin.
科林說：“這一點并不奇怪，而且還進一步擴充了我們的研究成果?！?/p>

‘Punctuation is used and understood by texters to convey emotions and other social and pragmatic information.’
“發信息者用標點符號來表達感情和其他實用社交信息。”

‘Given that people are wonderfully adept at communicating complex and nuanced information in conversations, it's not surprising that as texting evolves, people are finding ways to convey the same types of information in their texts.’
“鑒于人們非常擅于在聊天中傳達復雜和微妙的信息，所以不難預測，隨著短信的發展，人們將會找到能在短信中傳達以上信息的手段?！?/p>

Vocabulary
loose-leaf paper：活頁紙
misconstrue：曲解；誤會

英文來源：每日郵報
譯者：劉傳坤
審校&編輯：杜娟