The Oxford comma: dead at the hands of serial killers July 1, 2011
Posted by Olivia McDowell in Grammar Attack, Ire, Pretty!, Punctuation, The Ether, The News, Videorama.Tags: Oxford comma, Punctuation, Richard Ayoade, Salon.com, serial comma, Vampire Weekend
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I give a #%*^ about the Oxford comma. I’m known for giving a #%*^ about the Oxford comma. But sadly, this sudden palaver over its threatened extinction (at the hands of its eponymous university, no less) is just a bureaucratic nail in an already-long-buried coffin. As a proofreader in Australia, I must (at least during working hours) adhere to the ‘current trends’ in Australian writing style, and that means NO SERIAL COMMAS EVER (except if absolutely needed for the sake of clarity, which isn’t any fun at all).
So as far as I’m (professionally) concerned, the Oxford comma has already been eradicated, or is at least seriously endangered, teetering on the brink of extinction. It lingers only as a ghost, destroyed by a gradual succession of serial killers*: style guides in ruthless pursuit of minimalist punctuation.
R, I, P.
Over at Salon.com, Mary Elizabeth Williams has already said almost everything else I would say on the topic. Most importantly, she a) clarifies the extent to which Oxford University is eliminating its eponymous comma (that is, no more than most institutions already have); and b) embedded the obvious Vampire Weekend video clip.
Now, two things about this video clip: Firstly, its total number of hits must have jumped phenomenally in the past 24 hours. Secondly, IT WAS DIRECTED BY THE WONDERFUL RICHARD AYOADE (of The IT Crowd, of course). And if that isn’t a joyful note on which to end a sombre post, I don’t know what is.
*Yes, I went there.
I have to say, so glad to have discovered your blog. I am also very attached to the serial comma. I don’t think I’ll ever let go of it, and am quite lucky that I’ll never have an editor to be in charge of my commas!
Why thank you, and welcome! I’m enamoured with the idea of an intellectual rebellion, in which we use the Oxford comma liberally in our personal writing, while no-one’s watching.