# Tone indicator

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{{Short description|Shorthand to convey tone or intent}}
{{about|the symbols appended to text to portray intent|phonetic tone representation|Tone (linguistics)#Phonetic notation|other uses|Tone (disambiguation){{!}}Tone}}

A '''tone indicator''', also called a '''tone tag''', is a shorthand symbol or abbreviation that conveys the intended tone, intent or emotional context of a written message that might otherwise be ambiguous. In essence, it is a form of [meta‑communication](/source/Meta-communication): a cue that supplements the literal text with guidance on ''how'' the message should be interpreted.

Tone indicators are typically represented by a [forward slash](/source/forward_slash) (<code>/</code>) followed by a few letters, such as <code>/j</code> for "joking" or <code>/gen</code> for "genuine". They are most often placed at the end of a sentence and are especially common in casual [online communication](/source/Computer-mediated_communication).

Because written communication lacks the [nonverbal cues](/source/Nonverbal_communication) of [face‑to‑face interaction](/source/Human_communication)&nbsp;–&nbsp;such as vocal [inflection](/source/inflection), [facial expressions](/source/Facial_expression), and [body language](/source/body_language)&nbsp;–&nbsp;tone indicators serve as their textual substitutes to reduce misinterpretation. They are particularly common among the [neurodivergent](/source/neurodivergent) community, who often struggle to understand tone.<ref name=":0" />

== History ==
Early attempts to create tone indicators stemmed from the difficulty of denoting [irony](/source/irony) in print media, and so several [irony punctuation](/source/irony_punctuation) marks were proposed. The ''[percontation point](/source/percontation_point)'' (<code>⸮</code>; a reversed question mark) was proposed by [Henry Denham](/source/Henry_Denham) in the 1580s to denote a rhetorical question, but usage died out by the 1700s.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Eats, Shoots & Leaves |last=Truss |first=Lynne |date=2003 |isbn=1-59240-087-6 |page=142 }}</ref>

In 1668, [John Wilkins](/source/John_Wilkins) proposed the ''[irony mark](/source/irony_mark)'', using an inverted exclamation mark (<code>¡</code>) to denote an ironic statement. Various other punctuation marks were proposed over the following centuries to denote irony, but none gained popular usage.<ref>{{cite book|last=Houston|first=Keith|title=Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks|year=2013|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.|location=New York & London|isbn=978-0-393-06442-1 |pages=212–217}}</ref> In 1982, the [emoticon](/source/emoticon) was created to be used to denote jokes (with <code>:-)</code>) or things that are not jokes (with <code>:-(</code>).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sef/Orig-Smiley.htm|title=Original Bboard Thread in which :-) was proposed|publisher= cs.cmu.edu|access-date=October 12, 2021}}</ref>

The syntax of modern tone indicators stems from ''[/s](/source/%2Fs)'', which has long been used on the Internet to denote [sarcasm](/source/sarcasm).<ref name="Forbes">{{cite news |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Ori Manor |title=Council Post: The Importance Of Subtext In Digital Communications |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/10/08/the-importance-of-subtext-in-digital-communications/ |access-date=2021-10-12 |work=Forbes |date=2021-10-08 |language=en}}</ref> This symbol is an abbreviated version of the earlier <code>/sarcasm</code>, itself a simplification of <code>&lt;/sarcasm&gt;</code>,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Khodak |first1=Mikhail |last2=Saunshi |first2=Nikunj |last3=Vodrahalli |first3=Kiran |title=A Large Self-Annotated Corpus for Sarcasm |journal=Proceedings of the Language Resources and Evaluation Conference |date=7–12 May 2018 |page=1 |url=http://www.lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2018/pdf/160.pdf |accessdate=8 February 2019 |bibcode=2017arXiv170405579K |arxiv=1704.05579 |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124222/http://www.lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2018/pdf/160.pdf |url-status=live |quote=Reddit users have adopted a common method for sarcasm annotation consisting of adding the marker "/s" to the end of sarcastic statements; this originates from the HTML text delineation &lt;sarcasm>...&lt;/sarcasm>.}}</ref> the form of a humorous [XML](/source/XML) closing tag marking the end of a "sarcasm" block, and therefore placed at the end of a sarcastic passage.

== Internet usage ==
On the [Internet](/source/Internet), one or more tone indicators may be placed at the end of a message. A tone indicator on the Internet often takes the form of a forward slash (<code>/</code>) followed by an abbreviation of a relevant adjective; alternatively, a more detailed textual description (e. g., <code>/ friendly, caring about your well-being</code>) may be used. For example, <code>/srs</code> may be attached to the end of a message to indicate that the message is meant to be interpreted in a serious manner, as opposed to, for example, being a [joke](/source/joke) (which is commonly represented as <code>/j</code>). Tone indicators are used to explicitly state the author's intent, instead of leaving the message up to interpretation.<ref name="Forbes"/><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/style/tone-indicators-online.html|title=Tone Is Hard to Grasp Online. Can Tone Indicators Help?|work=New York Times|date=December 9, 2020|access-date=23 August 2021|archive-date=12 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812104759/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/style/tone-indicators-online.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+List of common tone indicators on the Internet<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jennings-Brown |first=Felicia |title=A New Way to Communicate Emotion Has Emerged: Tone Indicators |url=https://thesciencesurvey.com/news/2022/03/16/a-new-way-to-communicate-emotion-has-emerged-tone-indicators/ |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=The Science Survey}}</ref>
! Abbreviation
! Meaning
! Description
|-
|{{Anchor|/f|f}}<code>/f</code>
|fake
|Used to denote that a statement is fake.
|-
|{{Anchor|/gen|gen|/genq|genq|/g|g}}<code>/gen</code>, <code>/g</code> or <code>/genq</code> || genuine; genuine question || Used to denote [genuineness](/source/Sincerity), whether in a phrase or question.
|-
|{{Anchor|/hj|hj}}<code>/hj</code> || half-joking || Used to denote a half-joke; when one is joking about only some of the statement.
|-
|{{Anchor|/hyp|hyp}}<code>/hyp</code>
|hyperbole
|Used to denote [hyperboles](/source/Hyperbole).
|-
|{{Anchor|/j|j}}<code>/j</code> || joking || Used to denote [joke](/source/joke)s.
|-
|{{Anchor|/l|l|/lyr|lyr}}<code>/l</code>, <code>/lyr</code>{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}} or <code>/ly</code>
|lyric
|Used to denote [lyrics](/source/lyrics).
|-
|{{Anchor|/lh|lh}}<code>/lh</code> || lighthearted || Used to denote [lightheartedness](/source/lightheartedness) and cheerfulness; often used on insults to clarify that they are intended to be playful rather than malicious. 
|-
|{{Anchor|/li|li}}<code>/li</code>
|literal
|Used to denote that a statement is literal or to be taken [literally](/source/literally).
|-
|{{Anchor|/m|m}}<code>/m</code>
|metaphor
|Used to denote that a statement is a [metaphor](/source/metaphor).
|-
|{{Anchor|/pos|pos|/pc|pc}}<code>/pos</code> or <code>/pc</code> || positive; positive connotation|| Used to denote that a statement has a positive connotation.
|-
|{{Anchor|/neg|neg|/nc|nc}}<code>/neg</code> or <code>/nc</code> || negative; negative connotation|| Used to denote that a statement has a negative connotation.
|-
|{{Anchor|/nm|nm}}<code>/nm</code>
|not mad
|Used to denote that the speaker is not mad; usually for statements that could be interpreted as angry.
|-
|{{Anchor|/nsx|nsx}}<code>/nsx</code>
|non-sexual intent
|Used to denote statements with non-[sexual](/source/Human_sexuality) intent.
|-
|{{Anchor|/p|p}}<code>/p</code>
|platonic
|Used to denote [platonic](/source/Platonic_love) statements.
|-
|{{Anchor|/q|q}}<code>/q</code>{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}
|quote
|Used to denote when a statement is a [quote](/source/Quote).{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}
|-
|{{Anchor|/r|r}}<code>/r</code>
|romantic
|Used to denote [romantic](/source/Romance) statements.
|-
|{{Anchor|/ref|ref}}<code>/ref</code>
|reference
|Used to denote [references](/source/Reference) to other things.
|-
|{{Anchor|/rh|rh}}<code>/rh</code>
|rhetorical
|Used to denote [rhetorical](/source/Rhetorical_question) statements.
|-
|{{Anchor|/s|s}}<code>/s</code> || sarcasm || Used to denote [sarcasm](/source/sarcasm).
|-
|{{Anchor|/srs|srs}}<code>/srs</code> || serious || Used to denote [seriousness](/source/seriousness).
|-
|{{Anchor|/t|t}}<code>/t</code>
|teasing
|Used to denote [teasing](/source/teasing).
|-
|{{Anchor|/th|th}}<code>/th</code>
|threat
|Used to denote a [threat](/source/threat).
|-
|{{Anchor|/x|x}}<code>/x</code>
|sexual intent
|Used to denote statements with sexual intent.
|}
==See also==
*{{Annotated link|Meta-communication}}
*{{anl|Internet slang}}
*{{anl|Plain text}}
*{{anl|Poe's law}}

== References ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2023-10-05|Tonetags.ogg}}
{{reflist}}

Category:Internet terminology

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tone indicator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_indicator) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_indicator?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.