\ backslash \

Dare I suggest this has nothing to do with punctuation or grammar, and everything to do with the way your client wants you to compile the list? But you knew that already.

The backslash (not its real name... it's the reverse something... can't remember) is a computer filename character, I don't think it's part of English language punctuation. So yes, I'd say it's "gramatically incorrect."

-Derek

It's the "reverse solidus." It is not an English punctuation mark. As Derek says, it's a character that's used in computer languages, but not in English.

Does the client have some stated reason for using non-standard punctuation (quirky database software or similar), or are they just trying to be cutesy?

tonyrocks922 said:

the client claims that "\" is more common and will be more easily understood

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Your client is an idiot.

Or else she's writing for an audience of machine-language compilers.

The backslash is not a punctuation mark. What next? The pipe key? Those things aren't on computer keyboards for use in writing English, they're there for use in writing computer code.

(edit to add): she is not the brightest bulb

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Well, it's her money to waste, I suppose.

dpaterso said:

Dare I suggest this has nothing to do with punctuation or grammar, and everything to do with the way your client wants you to compile the list? But you knew that already.

The backslash (not its real name... it's the reverse something... can't remember)

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Reverse slash?

You made me look, most plain "ASCII tables" such as asciitable.com and the Wikipedia entry don't mention it, but this offficial-looking PDF document calls it a reverse solidus, and the regular 'forward' slash is called a solidus, slash, or virgile. That's more than anyone wanted to know, I'm sure...

dpaterso said:

is a computer filename character,

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I think it was first used for that in MS-DOS 2.x, when larger amounts of storage and hard disks came out and they added a file system with subdirectories. Earlier MS-DOS commands already used / to indicate the start of command parameters, so to avoid comfusion (both human and computer), they settled on \ to separate subdirectory names (Unix, which predates MS-DOS, uses / to separate subdirectories, and - to indicate command parameters).

dpaterso said:

I don't think it's part of English language punctuation. So yes, I'd say it's "gramatically incorrect."

-Derek

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I agree...
It's part of the original ASCII character specification from the 1960's, but I don't know what it would have been used for back then. I imagine they added it to be "symmetrical" with the usual / character. The earliest use I can think of is in the C programming language as a line-continued and escape character, but C wasn't invented until the 1970's.

The real test is that it's not on any typewriter. I double-checked two models of IBM Selectric keyboards, it's not on either one.

IceCreamEmpress said:

Your client is an idiot.

Or else she's writing for an audience of machine-language compilers.

The backslash is not a punctuation mark. What next? The pipe key? Those things aren't on computer keyboards for use in writing English, they're there for use in writing computer code.



Well, it's her money to waste, I suppose.

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Since they date back so far (and I'd be surprised if | was originally called the "pipe" character...), the origins of these things may be lost in IT Computer Science lore.
tonyrocks922, will YOUR name be on the final document? I hope not... It's up to you to decide whether to mention it or push the issue so the final thing is correct, possibly risking future work from this individual, or just let it go and take the money and run...

The origin of the backslash for them as wants to know it.

The real name of the "pipe key" is the Sheffer stroke. Or vertical bar. It was a Boolean logic symbol long before ENIACs roamed the Earth.

Sometimes one wonders about clients.

Blacklash is a computer thing. Don't use it in your writing unless you're writing technical documents or your story talks about computers...

It all depends on what the devil ABC/DEF is supposed to be.

Is this slash supposed to be a grammatically meaningful symbol?


Of the slash ... Chicago says

6.111 Terminology. "the slash (/) -- also known as virgule, solidus, slant, or forward slash, to distinguish it from a backward slash, or backslash (\) -- has various uses.

and goes on to list the uses. These include,

6.112 Signifying alternatives. A slash most commonly signifies alternatives. In certain contexts it provides convenient shorthand for or .

he/she
Hercules/Heracles


6.113 Technical use. A slash is used in certain contexts to mean and.

an insertion/deletion mutation
a Jekyll/Hyde personalaity

...
and etc.


If your client is using the slash in any of the six or eight contexts discussed in sections 6.111 to 6.119 of Chicago
then it should be a forward slash.
Only the forward slash is a grammatically meaningful symbol.


If she is NOT doing any of those eight of so things but the slash is nonetheless in and of itself informational ... then there is another punctuation mark she should be using to convey her meaning.
And the mark she needs is neither a front nor a backslash.
You will find the correct mark in Chicago.
If you do copyediting work you should have a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Manual on your shelf.


If, on the other hand,
she is merely assigning a name to her clients or her files or her pet turtles,
and the symbol doesn't convery grammatical information,
she can use any symbol she wants, including * or ~ or ^ or Chinese idiograms or a dab of pink nailpolish.