French linguists: Save the semicolon

PARIS, April 3 (UPI) -- Punctuation enthusiasts in France said they are campaigning to preserve one of their most beloved written-language symbols -- the semicolon.

Sylvie Prioul and Olivier Houdart, co-authors of "La Ponctuation ou l'art d'accomoder les texts," a book on French punctuation, blame the downfall of the semicolon, known in French as the point-virgule, on the influence of brevity-minded English writers, The Times of London reported Thursday.

"The semicolon is disappearing like the bear. People do not like it; writers are frightened of it; newspapers no longer use it. It's a bit sad," Prioul said.

She told The Times semicolons are integral to clarifying multi-clause sentences.

Alain Rey, a language expert and editor of the Robert Dictionary, applauded the save-the-semicolon campaign.

"Punctuation is not left wing or right wing; it transcends the political divide," he said on Rue89.com, an influential Web site run by journalists. "For me it is a symbol of a republic that reasons correctly."