This page, designated as a redirect, functions as a signpost, guiding users from a less precise or alternative title to the primary, authoritative article. Such navigational aids are meticulously tracked and organized by a series of categories, ensuring the structural integrity of this sprawling compendium of human knowledge. It’s a tedious but necessary task, like alphabetizing a library that’s constantly being rewritten by a thousand monkeys with typewriters.
From the Plural Form
This particular redirect falls under the classification of From the plural form. This denotes a common scenario where a search query or an internal link employs the plural iteration of a concept, in this case, "Punctuation marks," yet is seamlessly directed to its singular, more generalized form: "Punctuation". The underlying principle here is one of conciseness and logical grouping; the primary article, "Punctuation," comprehensively covers the entire subject, encompassing all individual "punctuation marks" within its scope. It’s an organizational choice, a preference for the genus over the species, designed to prevent fragmentation and ensure all related information resides in a single, coherent location. The singular form, "Punctuation mark," while grammatically distinct, is typically subsumed under the broader heading.
While it might seem intuitive to simply append the plural 's' directly after a link, as in the illustrative example [[link]]s, thereby bypassing the redirect altogether, standard practice dictates a more nuanced approach. Redirects of this nature are generally maintained for user convenience and to prevent the breakage of existing links. Therefore, the established guideline, as outlined in WP:NOTBROKEN, advises against replacing these redirected links with a simpler, direct link unless the page in question is undergoing a more substantial update for other, unrelated reasons. One doesn't simply fix what isn't strictly broken, especially when the fix involves more effort than the perceived benefit.
It is important to note the specific application of this redirect category. The {{R from plural}} template is exclusively reserved for tagging redirects found within the mainspace of Wikipedia. For instances where plural forms appear in other namespaces—such as templates, categories, or user pages—a different, more generic classification is utilized: {{R from modification}}. This distinction, while seemingly minor, reflects the rigorous, some might say obsessive, categorization schema that underpins the entire project.
From an Avoided Double Redirect
Another layer of structural maintenance comes into play with the classification From an avoided double redirect. This category addresses a specific, and frankly rather irritating, technicality within Wikipedia's architecture. A "double redirect" occurs when a page redirects to another page, which in turn redirects to yet another page. This creates an inefficient and cumbersome chain of redirections that the system is designed to prevent. Because double redirects are inherently disallowed—a minor flaw in the matrix, easily circumvented—this particular page serves as a direct link, bypassing an intermediate redirect that would have otherwise led to the same ultimate destination.
In this specific instance, the page "Punctuation marks" (the plural form, remember?) might have originally redirected to "Punctuation mark" (the singular form, a common target for plural redirects), which itself is a redirect to the main article, Punctuation. To preempt this inefficient two-step process, "Punctuation marks" directly points to Punctuation. It’s a small optimization, a subtle tightening of the gears, but one that prevents unnecessary computational detours.
Should the intermediate target, Punctuation mark, ever be expanded into a standalone article, a template, or any other distinct project page, this redirect's categorization would be updated accordingly. Such changes would necessitate a reevaluation of its purpose, shifting it from a "double redirect avoidance" mechanism to something else entirely, perhaps a direct redirect to a related but distinct topic. The system, like a perpetually anxious archivist, is always ready to recategorize.
From an Unprintworthy Page Title
Finally, we encounter the designation From an unprintworthy page title. This category identifies titles that, for various reasons, would be deemed unhelpful or even confusing in a static, offline rendition of Wikipedia, such as a physical printed encyclopedia or a CD/DVD version. The rationale behind this classification is pragmatic: while certain titles might be perfectly functional and understandable within the dynamic, hyperlinked environment of the web, they lose their utility or clarity when stripped of that context.
Consider, for example, highly technical internal terms, overly specific disambiguation pages, or titles that rely heavily on the interactive nature of a wiki. Such titles, while serving a purpose online, would merely clutter or confuse a reader accessing the information in a linear, non-interactive format. For more comprehensive details on the criteria for printability, one might consult Wikipedia:Printability and the guidelines established by the Version 1.0 Editorial Team. These committees, in their infinite wisdom, determine what is worthy of being etched into a more permanent, less mutable form, and what is best left to the fleeting digital ether.
It is also worth noting that the system, with a certain unsettling efficiency, automatically senses, describes, and categorizes the various protection levels applied to redirects and other pages. This ensures that the appropriate safeguards, from preventing anonymous edits to restricting modifications to administrators only, are accurately reflected in the metadata, a testament to the meticulous, if somewhat joyless, pursuit of order.