>>>It never occurred to me that quotes may be used for emphasis. It's like facing a bulgarian nod, you don't actually know what they mean.
>>
>>I would consider your use as emphasis. Because you set a different meaning then one would expect. In spoken language one need to emphasis to do that?
>
>I don't use them for emphasis, only to denote a slanted meaning. It's only Americans (that I've seen so far) who use them in writing to replace italics, the very same people regularly who use them in speech by making the gesture with both hands (two fingers on each, doing funny rabbit ears) for slanted meaning. Go figure.
>
>>Bulgarian nods are disturbing of the bulgarian acts like a non bulgarian. Short hesitation - nod. :)
>
>Yup, you never know whether they are translating for you or speak their native nods.
>
>If you see me draw the quotation marks in the air, at least you will know whether I'm translating - in serbian, the opening quotation mark, i.e. the left one, is on the baseline, like a subscript, the closing is above, like a superscript. If my hands are both above, then I'm in english mode.

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"(*_*)" and „(*_*)“ ?