Do you spend your time thinking about Roland Barthes’ “punctum?” No, I don’t either. I did think about it recently long enough however to wonder what AI might have to say. You can diss AI, but it offered a simple explanation. Basically a punctum is something in the photograph that you connect to, and it is subjective and personal.

Barthes would likely howl in indignation. In academia your professional and reputational status often correlates to the complexity and difficulty of your work. The more obscure the more prestigious.

Pondering the punctum led me to riff on the word itself. For example, why is it that more people punct certain photos? What is it about these images that is so punctable and memorable?

I puncted on and came up with more:

Nouns

punctum         puncting metapunctum    contrapunctum 

punctography  / punctumography         punctumosity                 

punctumification            puncterbation     puncterdiction 

puncturification          punctmestification          

Verbs

to punct             to punctumify               to punctmentalize  

to punctmogrify           to punctificate                to punctivate    

to punctumivate      to punctmulverize to perpunct

Adjectives

punctable             unpunctable               puncticious                

perpunctory                  perpunctable      punctarian        

impunctuous                punctizable punctposterous

punctum-free punctum-friendly pro-punctum

Idioms

to have your punctum and eat it too                  playing punctum         

like two peas in a punctum   the 800-pound punctum in the room 

to let the punctum out of the bag         to take it with a pinch of punctum

to hit the punctum on the head to kill two birds with one punctum  

to get up on the wrong side of the punctum

Swears

Get the punct out of here.                      What a punct-hole!     

You’re a piece of punctum. She’s as ugly as punct. 

I don’t give a punct.                       He’s a mean motherpuncter.     

Don’t punct with me. It scared the punct out of me. 

Go punct yourself. Kiss my punctum.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

May the punctum be with you!