One more post about French spacing (I promise this is the last one. No, really.)

In response to my post about French spacing (the practice of inserting two spaces after each sentence), my friend and former colleague Brad Parker e-mailed me a collection of links about the topic:

• Writer and webmaster Ashley Pond lists French spacing as a "layout mistake."
• Allan Haley writes that French spacing,  "[c]ommon in books before the 19th century, it became the norm for copy written with a typewriter. French spacing is now unnecessary and distracting— one space after a period is plenty."
• Finally, this link-laden page of the All Experts Encyclopedia explains the origins of the practice and of the term "French spacing."

Comments

[Dennis Headrick]

An article in U&lc 41.1.1 stating that, "Forget about tolerating differences of opinion: typographically speaking, typing two spaces before the start of a new sentence is absolutely, unequivocally wrong."

I'm not from the 19th century but much of current typography with its drive toward "evenness of grey" results in only one thing--the decline in true readability! And that, I was taught, was the primary goal of typography, and to combine ease of reading with pleasing artistic design the highest measure of success. Double spacing (or extra spacing) before the beginning of a sentence gives a visual break between the sentences making the text easier to read. I was taught when handsetting type (yes, I know how and still do it) to use an en space (nut) between sentences and the standard 1/3 space between words. For eveness a 1/4 space might be used after a comma within a sentence. The final choice was made based on the set width of the typeface. The same parameters were carried over into Monotype and Linotype composition.

I taught dozens if not hundreds over the years and several who also possessed an artistic eye produced some of the finest work around.

Even though I now use electronic composition, my selection of a vehicle is always swayed by the program's versatility in spacing options.

So, use your search engine to remove double spaces if you like--I'll use mine to replace between-sentence spacing with a little more than the standard single space and I'll happily pit my composition for readabilty by the average reader against virtually all that is produced under the moderist rules of text setting.

[Ray Ward]

Dennis: I certainly agree that readability is the goal. I also agree that the space between sentences should be a little longer than the space between words in a sentence. My understanding is that word processors automatically do that, which is why (unlike with a typewriter) it’s unnecessary to hit the space bar twice. See, for example, Bryan A. Garner, The Redbook § 4.12.

[Patrick the Rogue]

Ray: How does the word processor differentiate between periods at the end of sentences and those used in abbreviations? Answer, it can't. I have heard this contention before, but it is wrong, as is the argument for one space between sentences. Two spaces. Full stop.

[mattavina]

I agree with Dennis, people are so snarky and oddly abusive about this. I believe double spacing after a scentenc is easier to read.