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Re: Extra space after punctuation marks
From: |
Franck Arnaud |
Subject: |
Re: Extra space after punctuation marks |
Date: |
Wed, 17 Jan 96 13:59:39 GMT |
Greg Woods:
> I would argue that it is indeed proper, and that it is only lack of
> formal training that has prevented it from being widely known. After
> all, most computer users don't have formal training in using a
> typewriter keyboard.
It may be a convention for typewritten material. The typography of
books or newspapers is not decided by typists or computer
users though.
> I've heard claims that it is/was a typographical convention to use a
> "wide" space between sentences, and a minimum "narrow" space between
> words in a sentence.
It was definitely (in English) at some time. The question is whether or
not it still is.
> It is most definitely a feature of troff [...]
Blake McBride:
> TeX also automatically adds extra space at the end of sentences. I find it
> hard to imagine that Knuth could get this wrong :-).
Well, I don't think the opinion of computer scientists outside of computer
science is worth much, especially given the tendency of computer scientists to
reinvent square wheels when round wheels have been proven more effective by
practitioners in other fields. (This attitude is sadly shared with other
professions getting into computers and ignoring the published computer
science literature).
LaTeX's default style for example is known to be one of the worst thing
that happened to book design.
I don't remember where I read about double-spaces at the end of sentences,
but it actually mentionned Knuth by name as being wrong. Well, he may have
been right, but I'd like to hear from typographers.
> It seems to me this practice of dropping the extra (wide) space between
> sentences is a recent thing (since the mid-80's),
It was much earlier (thirties?) according to my reading (and lousy
memory).
> At the very least, and regardless as to what's currently "standard", I think
> there is enough difference of opinion and taste to warrant an enhancement
> to Lout.
Yes, if there's a mode for double-spacing, and a mode for ignoring double
spaces all the time, everyone will benefit compared to the current
compromise.
--
Franck Arnaud <internet address@hidden> <cis 100041,375>
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks, (continued)
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks, Blake McBride, 1996/01/16
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks, Tom Gordon, 1996/01/17
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks, Robert M. McClure, 1996/01/17
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks, Blake McBride, 1996/01/17
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks,
Franck Arnaud <=
- Re: Extra space after punctuation marks, Blake McBride, 1996/01/20