Non-English usage of quotation marks
Okay kiddo, so you know how we use quotation marks to show when someone is speaking in a book or movie, like "I am going to the store," said Jack? Well, in some countries where they speak a different language than English, they use the quotation marks in a different way.
For example, in some languages, like French, they put a space before and after the quotation marks, like this: « je vais au magasin » which means "I am going to the store." They also use a different type of quotation marks that look like little arrows pointing inwards.
In other languages, like German, they use what are called “typographic” quotation marks, which means they look a little bit different than the ones we use in English. They look like this: „Ich gehe zum Laden“ which also means "I am going to the store." The quotation marks in German look a bit like commas, but they are turned upside down at the beginning and right-side up at the end of a quotation.
So you see, even though we might use quotation marks in English in one way, other languages might use them in a different way, and that’s okay! Different languages have different rules, and that’s part of what makes them so interesting to learn about.
For example, in some languages, like French, they put a space before and after the quotation marks, like this: « je vais au magasin » which means "I am going to the store." They also use a different type of quotation marks that look like little arrows pointing inwards.
In other languages, like German, they use what are called “typographic” quotation marks, which means they look a little bit different than the ones we use in English. They look like this: „Ich gehe zum Laden“ which also means "I am going to the store." The quotation marks in German look a bit like commas, but they are turned upside down at the beginning and right-side up at the end of a quotation.
So you see, even though we might use quotation marks in English in one way, other languages might use them in a different way, and that’s okay! Different languages have different rules, and that’s part of what makes them so interesting to learn about.