[lifthrasiir]

> Python

    >>> from __future__ import braces
      File "<stdin>", line 1
    SyntaxError: not a chance

Back to the topic, while I don't think its ranking doesn't generally reflect the actual popularity, the TIOBE index [1] is a good definition of "common enough" languages. So let's see... oh! There are 5--7 programming languages out of top 20 that do not generally use both braces and semicolons! (Python [not-so-strictly-necessary semicolon only], Visual Basic .NET, SQL [semicolon only], Assembly language, MATLAB, Visual Basic and Delphi/Object Pascal [semicolon only]). I also happen to know less popular but well-known programming languages that do not use both braces and semicolons at all (ML, FORTRAN, Lua, Forth and of course all lisps). So please allow me to reword your claim: why should braces and semicolons be normal?

[1] https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/