Sentence spacing

Sentence spacing concerns how spaces are inserted between sentences in typeset text and is a matter of typographical convention.[1] Since the introduction of movable-type printing in Europe, various sentence spacing conventions have been used in languages with a Latin alphabet.[2] These include a normal word space (as between the words in a sentence), a single enlarged space, and two full spaces.

Until the 20th century, publishing houses and printers in many countries used additional space between sentences. There were exceptions to this traditional spacing method—some printers used spacing between sentences that was no wider than word spacing. This was French spacing—a term synonymous with single-space sentence spacing until the late 20th century.[3] With the introduction of the typewriter in the late 19th century, typists used two spaces between sentences to mimic the style used by traditional typesetters.[4] While wide sentence spacing was phased out in the printing industry in the mid-20th century, the practice continued on typewriters[5] and later on computers.[6] Perhaps because of this, many modern sources now incorrectly[7] claim that wide spacing was created for the typewriter.[8]

The desired or correct sentence spacing is often debated, but most sources now state that an additional space is not necessary or desirable.[9] From around 1950, single sentence spacing became standard in books, magazines, and newspapers,[10] and the majority of style guides that use a Latin-derived alphabet as a language base now prescribe or recommend the use of a single space after the concluding punctuation of a sentence.[11] However, some sources still state that additional spacing is correct or acceptable.[7] Some people preferred double sentence spacing because that was how they were taught to type.[12] The few direct studies conducted since 2002 have produced inconclusive results as to which convention is more readable.[13]

  1. ^ University of Chicago Press 2003, Chicago Manual of Style. p. 243; Einsohn 2006. p. 113; Shushan and Wright 1989. p. 34.
  2. ^ Languages with Sanscrit, Cyrillic, cuneiform, hieroglyphics, Chinese, and Japanese characters, among others, are not covered in the scope of this article. Handwriting is also not covered.
  3. ^ In the 1990s, some print and Web sources began referring to double sentence spacing as "French spacing", leading to some ambiguity with the term. See for example, Eckersley et al. 1994. p. 46, and Haley 2006.
  4. ^ Bringhurst 2004. p. 28.
  5. ^ Felici 2003. p. 80.
  6. ^ Jury 2009. p. 58.
  7. ^ a b Felici 2009.
  8. ^ Jury 2009. p. 57; Williams 2003. p. 13; Fogarty 2008. p. 85.
  9. ^ Felici 2003. p. 80; Fogarty 2008. p. 85; Jury 2009. p. 56; Strizver 2010; Walsh 2004. p. 3; Williams 2003. pp. 13–14.
  10. ^ Williams 2003. pp. 13–14. This refers to professionally published works, as it is possible for individual authors to publish works through desktop publishing systems. Williams states, "I guarantee this: never in your life have you read professionally set text printed since 1942 that used two spaces after each period." See also, Felici 2003, p. 81; Strizver 2010; Weiderkehr 2009; Williams 1995. p. 4.
  11. ^ Fogarty, Mignon (2008). Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. New York: Holt Paperbacks. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-8050-8831-1.; Kristi Leonard; et al. (1 February 2003). "The Effects of Computer-based Text Spacing on Reading Comprehension and Reading Rate". IVLA. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  12. ^ Strizver 2010.
  13. ^ Lloyd and Hallahan 2009. "During times when many disciplines that recommend the APA's Publication Manual [6th ed., 2009] are advocating evidence-based decisions, it's noteworthy, we think, that these discussions of the rationale for using two spaces at the end of sentences (and after colons) do not appear to be based on scientific examination of the hypothesis that two spaces makes manuscripts more readable."