Re: spacing after punctuation?

Oh, dear, this got my attention and brought back memories!

Briefly, my understanding is that:
* In the days of typewriters with fixed-width font, the standard was two spaces after periods. (or, more accurately, after “terminal punctuation”, including periods and explanation marks and question marks)
* Variable width fonts, sophisticated kerning, and such made two spaces no longer needed for most readers to clearly distinguish the end of sentences.
* Once "desktop publishing" (DTP) made these common-place, professional publications went to single space after periods.

One thing to note is that two spaces after periods increases the likelihood of “rivers of white”[1]. From a low vision perspective, this is significantly increased with some things we do to increase legibility and readability. That is, I think often two spaces after periods *decreases* readability for some readers with low vision.

Of course, there are some for whom two spaces after periods increases readability – including some with low vision who cannot easily see periods and some with certain cognitive disabilities. Thus, I would support extra space after periods being an option, and would oppose it being a suggested practice.

(I also wonder about the priority of it. My initial feeling is that it is fairly low priority compared to other things needed to improve readability by people with cognitive, learning, and visual disabilities. Yet, I have not researched this particular point since about 1995. :-)

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> https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13414-018-1527-6

Quote: "It should be noted that the paragraphs used in the current experiment were presented in a monospaced fixed font.”
Quote: “Inter-line spacing was quadruple…"

It is very good that they clearly stated the font and the line spacing. And, I think that makes the study nearly irrelevant for today’s text.

(side note: I found it interesting that people who type one space had reading speeds of 85, 82, 78, 79; and people who type two spaces had reading speeds of 72, 70, 71, 74. That is quite a difference.)

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A little relevant background: I was a trained and professional technical writer and editor in the late '80s and early '90s – near the start of the DTP era. (yup, with my early Mac, PageMaker software, and LaserWriter printer ;-) At that time, there was a strong feeling in the DTP field that one space after period was the sign of a professional, and two spaces was the sign of an amateur or old school typewriter training.

Personally, whenever I get a document with two spaces after periods, it is one of the first things I customize – replace with one space. I cannot say how much of this is due to past indoctrination that it is amateurish, and how much is to improve readability and cognitive processing for me.

OK, I've said enough for now. :-)

Best,
~Shawn

[1] rivers of white https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_(typography)


On 10/15/2019 12:57 PM, Jim Allan wrote:
> is spacing after punctuation (e.g. 2 spaces after period) an issue for low vision folks?
> https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13414-018-1527-6
> 
> -- 
> Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator
> Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
> 1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
> voice 512.206.9315    fax: 512.206.9452 http://www.tsbvi.edu/
> "We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964

Received on Wednesday, 16 October 2019 00:59:29 UTC