Consider the following sentence: “Will John leave the room” (Searle, 1965). Say the sentence aloud, each time emphasizing a different word. Notice that emphasizing one word over another can alter the meaning from statement to question to command, depending on which word is emphasized (“WILL John leave the room” versus “Will JOHN leave the room”).

Loudness affects meaning so powerfully that people mimic it online by USING CAPITAL LETTERS TO EMPHASIZE CERTAIN POINTS. Indeed, people who extensively cap are punished for being “too loud.” For example, a member of a music Web site I routinely visit accidentally left his “cap lock” key on while posting, and all of his messages were capped. Several other members immediately pounced, scolding him, “Stop shouting!”