Dinkus

Asterisms in use
Three asterisks as a dinkus in the James Huneker novel Painted Veils.

In typography, a dinkus is a typographic device or convention that typically consists of three spaced asterisks or bullet symbols in a horizontal row, e.g.   ∗ ∗ ∗   or   • • •  . The device 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 that the subsequent text should be re-contextualized. Such a dinkus typically appears centrally aligned on a line of its own with vertical spacing before and after the device. The dinkus has been in use in various forms since c. 1850. Historically, the dinkus was often represented as an asterism, ⁂, though this has fallen out of favor and is now nearly obsolete.

Etymology

The Macquarie Dictionary attributes the word's origin to the 1870's American slang word dingus, which refers to something that has a forgotten or unknown name.

Usage

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 section. A dinkus dividing a larger section is intended is to maintain a sense of continuity within the overall chapter or section while changing elements of the setting or timeline. For instance, to introduce a flashback or other scene change, a dinkus can help denote the change within the overall theme of the chapter; in that case, it can be preferable to the initiation of a new chapter. This technique is used especially in literary fiction.

Intentionally omitted information

Many applications of the dinkus, including those that were common historically, have indicated intentional omission of information. Such a dinkus informs the reader that the information has been omitted. It can also 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).

A dinkus can also be used in any context as a simple means of abbreviation of any text. The dinkus is 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.

Ornamentation

Newspapers, magazines, and other works can use dinkuses as simple ornamentation, for solely aesthetic reasons. A primarily aesthetic dinkus often takes the form of a fleuron, e.g., ❧ or a dingbat.

Poetic symbolism

In some cases, a dinkus has been employed in poetry to convey non-verbal meaning. This is exemplified in the poem Thresholes by Lara Mimosa Montes, which frequently uses a circular dinkus,  ○ , as a form of "punctuation at the level of the full text, rather than the phrase or the sentence".

Variations

Many dinkuses are composed partially or entirely of asterisks. Other symbols include a series of dots, fleurons, asterisms, or small drawings. Esperanto Braille punctuation commonly uses a series of colons, ⠒⠒⠒, as a dinkus.

Other uses of the term "dinkus"

Among older Hungarian Americans and Polish Americans, dinkus (or dyngus) is an archaic term for Easter Monday.

In Australian English, particularly in the news media, the word "dinkus" refers to a small photograph of the author of a news article. Outside Australia, this is often referred to as a headshot.

References

  1. 1 2 Butterford, Consul Willshire (1858). A Comprehensive System of Grammatical and Rhetorical Punctuation. Cincinnati: Longley Brothers. pp. 37, 40.
  2. 1 2 Houston, Keith (2013). Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks.[full citation needed]
  3. ↑ Peško, Radim; Lüthi, Louis (2007). Bailey, Stuart; Bilak, Peter (eds.). Dot Dot Dot 13. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-90-77620-07-6.[full citation needed]
  4. ↑ Moore, Alison; Morgan, Victoria; Stein, Jack; Atkinson, Ann; Burnet, Kris, eds. (2023). "Dinkus". Macquarie Dictionary. Vol. 2 (9th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Macquarie Dictionary Publishers. p. 440. ISBN 9781761267741.
  5. ↑ "Glossary". The News Manual.
  6. ↑ Hudson, Robert (2010). The Christian Writer's Manual of Style. p. 386.[full citation needed]
  7. ↑ "D'Alliage à Avertissement — Orthotypographie, de Jean-Pierre Lacroux (Lexique des règles typographiques françaises)". www-orthotypographie-fr.translate.goog.
  8. 1 2 Flann, Elizabeth; Hill, Beryl; Wang, Lan (2014). The Australian Editing Handbook.[full citation needed]
  9. 1 2 Lacroux, Jean-Pierre. Orthotypographie.[full citation needed]
  10. 1 2 "Five Ways I Hate Your Dinkus". Self-Publishing Review. August 26, 2021.
  11. ↑ Taruskin, Richard (2005). The Oxford History of Western Music. Vol. 3. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-19-516979-9.
  12. ↑ "Did You Know? The Dinkus". Municode.
  13. ↑ Quinn, Stephen (2012). Digital Sub-Editing and Design.[full citation needed]
  14. ↑ Bringhurst, Robert (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style (3rd ed.). Hartley & Marks. p. 63, 290–291. ISBN 978-0-88179-206-5. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Gabbert, Elisa (December 29, 2020). "How Poets Use Punctuation as a Superpower and a Secret Weapon". The New York Times.
  16. ↑ Lundmark, Torbjorn (2002). Quirky Qwerty: The Story of the Keyboard @ Your Fingertips. University of New South Wales. p. 120. ISBN 9780868404363.
  17. 1 2 Crystal, David (2016). Making a Point: The Pernickety Story of English Punctuation. London Profile Books. ISBN 9781781253519.
  18. ↑ "Dinkus". Macquarie Dictionary. Sydney. A dinkus is a small drawing used in printing to decorate a page, or to break up a block of type. It was coined by an artist on [Sydney's] The Bulletin magazine in the 1920s, and it is derived from the word dinky, meaning 'small'
  19. ↑ Pleck, Elizabeth Hafkin (2001). Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and Family Rituals. Harvard University Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780674002302.
  20. ↑ "Infinite Anthology". The Monthly. August 5, 2010.
  21. ↑ Sadokierski, Zoe (27 March 2014). "Why The Saturday Paper's design breeds disappointment". The Conversation.

Further reading