{"id":9154,"date":"2020-11-03T20:41:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T20:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=9154"},"modified":"2022-09-19T18:11:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T18:11:30","slug":"coma-vs-comma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/coma-vs-comma\/","title":{"rendered":"Coma Vs. Comma: Here&#8217;s How to Tell Them Apart"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:150%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing in English may sometimes put us at the end of our wits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We may occasionally wish to just become walking dictionaries so we won&rsquo;t run out of lexical resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Words with minute differences in spelling and pronunciation often get us stuck in a spider&rsquo;s web because we may be prompted to consult<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-either\/\"> <b>either<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mr. Webster or Mr. Oxford first, before deciding which one to use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These linguistic oddities are especially true with homophonic and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/10816033\/What_is_Polysemy_A_survey_of_current_research_and_results\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <b>polysemic<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> words.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&rsquo;s dig deeper into the differences between two homophonic words &mdash; words with similar pronunciation but irrelevant meanings &mdash; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;coma&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;comma&rdquo;.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n[toc]\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>What is the difference between &ldquo;coma&rdquo; and &ldquo;comma&rdquo;?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><strong><i>Coma, <\/i>the noun version of the adjective &ldquo;comatose&rdquo;, is a state of temporary or permanent unconsciousness as a result of medically-related issues such as brain injury, intoxication, or oxygen deficiency. In another sense, it could also mean the hair-like structure of a comet&rsquo;s head.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On the completely distant part of the semantic spectrum, a <i>comma<\/i> is a non-lexical written symbol (a punctuation mark) used to alert pauses and guide the rhythm of sentences. It could<a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-also-the-definitive-guide\/\"> also<\/a> refer to a butterfly species in its secondary sense.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lastly, even if both peripherally sound alike, the first vowel sound of each word is produced differently: <i>coma <\/i>contains the \/o&#5696;\/ sound as in &ldquo;boat&rdquo; and <i>comma <\/i>bears the \/&auml;\/ sound as in &ldquo;drama&rdquo;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9160 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin.png\" alt=\"Coma Vs. Comma\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin.png 924w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-561x842.png 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-364x546.png 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-728x1092.png 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-608x912.png 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-758x1137.png 758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin.png\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9160 size-full eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201000%201500'%3E%3Crect%20width='1000'%20height='1500'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Coma Vs. Comma\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin.png 924w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-561x842.png 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-364x546.png 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-728x1092.png 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-608x912.png 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Coma-Vs.-Comma-Pin-758x1137.png 758w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>Coma: Etymology, Meaning, and Phonology<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This section aims to shed some light on the origin, meaning, and pronunciation of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its first sense, the word is mainly used in medicine which means prolonged unconsciousness while it means the hair-like structure on the comet&rsquo;s head in its second sense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Note that both of the meanings or senses of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are used as nouns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Etymology &amp; Meaning<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first sense of the word <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is derived from the Ancient Greek term (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&kappa;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8182;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&mu;&alpha;) which means &ldquo;deep sleep&rdquo; and it is restrictedly used in the medical field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a living organism goes into a coma, it does not respond to stimuli (i.e. pain infliction) as it would in its conscious state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, the astronomical sense of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also originally came from the Ancient Greek term (&kappa;&#972;&mu;&eta;), pronounced as &ldquo;ko-me&rdquo;, which means &ldquo;hair&rdquo;.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same term also gave birth to the name <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comet<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is a ball of ice from the outer portion of the Solar System that turns into a fascinating heavenly scene as it travels closer to the sun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Online dictionaries agree that the first sense of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was first used in the 1640s while the second in the 1760s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Phonology<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The initial vowel in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has the minimal pair diphthong sound similar to the sound we use in &ldquo;go&rdquo;, &ldquo;boat&rdquo;, and &ldquo;don&rsquo;t&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A minimal pair diphthong is a combination of two vowel sounds subtly blended into one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diphthong \/<\/span><b>o<\/b><b>&#5696;<\/b><b>\/ <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also generally referred to as the long &ldquo;o&rdquo; vowel sound and may also be simply written as \/ow\/ for more convenient pedagogical practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coma<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is phonetically transcribed into \/&rsquo;k<\/span><b>o<\/b><b>&#5696;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#601;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\/, following the American English pronunciation, and we may observe the oval to a rounder mouth position during the sound reproduction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tongue also moves to the middle part of the mouth coming from the lower portion while the jaw slightly rises upwards towards the end of the entire sound.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>Comma: Etymology, Meaning, and Phonology<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The details below address how the word <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has been derived together with its meaning in different senses, as well as its pronunciation incongruity with the former word.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same as the former word, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may also be used in two senses which are both nouns.<\/span><br>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Etymology &amp; Meaning<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, the punctuation <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is of Greek origin (ko&micro;&micro;&alpha;), as well, which denotes the meaning of &ldquo;a cut-off segment&rdquo;, later transferred into English through the Latin language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commas are used to segregate words, phrases, or clauses which signal short breaks when reading. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/unnecessary-commas\/\">Comma usage<\/a><\/strong> could either be grammatically or stylistically-based depending on the writer&rsquo;s intention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking at <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comma&rsquo;s <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">second sense, it may also refer to the black-and-brown butterfly species dwelling in Eurasia and North Africa having the ability to camouflage on dead leaves due to its special color combination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Phonology<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first vowel sound in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is produced using the open central unrounded vowel \/&auml;\/ similar with the initial vowel sounds in &ldquo;drama&rdquo;, &ldquo;mama&rdquo;, and &ldquo;karma&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The open central unrounded vowel sound is a single vowel produced by positioning the tongue away from the roof of the mouth and closer to the base, while the mouth is fairly unrounded and the jaw drops at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comma<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is phonetically transcribed as \/&rsquo;k<\/span><b>&auml;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m&#601;\/ which is technically one vowel sound shorter than \/&rsquo;k<\/span><b>o<\/b><b>&#5696;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#601;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\/ since the latter word contains a blended vowel sound or a diphthong.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coma <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comma<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-despite\/\"> <b>despite<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> having almost exactly the same sounds and spelling, do have a lot of differences, especially in meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering the tricky nature of constantly evolving languages, it is but common to find ourselves getting perplexed by word variations and features.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it is still advisable, though, that we know how to disambiguate such linguistic irregularities<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-after-so\/\"> <b>so<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we can use them in both writing and oral speech with maximum flexibility,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-thereby\/\"><b>thereby<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> leading to effective communication strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Writing in English may sometimes put us at the end of our wits. We may occasionally wish to just become walking dictionaries so we won&rsquo;t run out of lexical resources. Words with minute differences in spelling and pronunciation often get us stuck in a spider&rsquo;s web because we may be prompted to consult either Mr. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false,"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,1119,1116],"tags":[164,165,80],"class_list":["post-9154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-comma-rules","category-grammar","tag-coma","tag-coma-vs-comma","tag-comma"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9154"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9161,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9154\/revisions\/9161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}