Section sign
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
| Punctuation marks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In other scripts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Category | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The section sign (Unicode U+00A7 § SECTION SIGN, HTML §, TeX \S) is a typographical character used mainly to refer to a particular section of a document, such as a legal code.[1] It is also called "double S" and "sectional symbol".[2] Most other languages call it "paragraph symbol" (see sidebar).
Origin
The likely origin of the section sign is the digraph formed by the combination of two S glyphs (from the Latin signum sectiōnis).
When duplicated, as §§, it is read as the plural "sections" (e.g. "§§ 13–21"), much as "pp." (pages) is the plural of "p."
Use
It is frequently used along with the pilcrow (¶), or paragraph sign. Like the dagger (†) and double dagger (‡), it is also sometimes used to link to a footnote where the asterisk (*) is already in use on a given page.
It is common practice to follow the section sign with a non-breaking space, just before the actual section being cited.[1]
In some European countries, the section sign is widely understood as a symbol of the justice system, in much the same way the Rod of Asclepius is used to represent medicine. For example, it is used in the logo of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice. In these countries as well as in Brazil, the sign is used in laws and other norms to represent paragraphs inside articles. The first paragraph is named as Latin caput, and the following are ordinally numbered.[3]
Keyboard entry
_keyboard.jpg?lang=en)
On Windows, it can be entered using the key sequence Composeso or the Windows Alt Codes 0167 or 21. On a Mac QWERTY keyboard, it can be entered using the key combination ⌥ Opt+6. On Linux, Composes!.
The popular use of the section sign in German speaking areas, especially within official contexts like justice and public administration in general, is reflected in the existence of a dedicated § key on German keyboards: On the standardised German keyboard, the section sign is produced by pressing ⇧ Shift+3. On German keyboards, the sign has always been relatively easy to type: Manufacturers considered the needs of their early customers, of which public administration was a large share, causing the section sign to be comparatively easy to type even on old German keyboards.
See also
References
- ^ a b Standler, Ronald M. (2009). "Legal Research and Citation Style in USA". Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ "The Gtk Compose Table – Ubuntu Documentation". Retrieved 2013-10-08.
- ^ "LEI COMPLEMENTAR Nº 95, DE 26 DE FEVEREIRO DE 1998". Retrieved 25 May 2017.
External links
Media related to Section signs at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of Section signs at Wiktionary
