One space between each sentence, they said. Science just proved them wrong.

[SummerMadness]

One space between each sentence, they said. Science just proved them wrong.

In the beginning, the rules of the space bar were simple. Two spaces after each period. Every time. Easy.

That made sense in the age of the typewriter. Letters of uniform width looked cramped without extra space after the period. Typists learned not to do it.

But then, at the end of the 20th century, the typewriter gave way to the word processor, and the computer, and modern variable-width fonts. And the world divided.

The researchers then clamped each student's head into place, and used an Eyelink 1000 to record where they looked as they silently read 20 paragraphs. The paragraphs were written in various styles: one-spaced, two-spaced, and strange combinations like two spaces after commas, but only one after periods. And vice versa, too.

And the verdict was: two spaces after the period is better. It makes reading slightly easier.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

... huh. I've always used one space after a period but I'll give two spaces a try from now on.

 

[Hank77]

One space between each sentence, they said. Science just proved them wrong.

And here I broke myself from the two space rule and they change it back!

 

[Hank77]

... huh. I've always used one space after a period but I'll give two spaces a try from now on.

I'm guessing that just shows the difference between your age group and mine.

 

[SummerMadness]

And here I broke myself from the two space rule and they change it back!

I know, me too! I used to always put two spaces between words, I think part of adjustment was my word processor highlighting all my double spaces. Collaborative writing also became annoying because other people would edit out my double spaces. I still don't let them mess with my semicolons.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

I'm guessing that just shows the difference between your age group and mine.

Yeah, 24 years old. Have never seen anyone use it.
Well, no, I do have an old diary, of sorts, from my paternal great-grandfather (or was it great-great grandfather?) who served in the British army on the Western Front in WW1, and that's double-spaced after the period, but I though that was just a type-writer thing.

 

[SummerMadness]

I feel as if I am in that hybrid group, I grew up with a typewriter and a computer in my house, I was lucky enough to grow up with a computer in the house in the '80s (it made the Pentium craze in the '90s seem weird to me).

 

[Hank77]

I know, me too! I used always put two spaces between words, I think part of adjustment was my word processor highlighting all my double spaces. Collaborative writing also became annoying because other people would edit out my double spaces. I still don't let them mess with my semicolons.

What about term papers and any kind of report having double spaces between lines? Do they still do that?

 

[Hank77]

Yeah, 24 years old. Have never seen anyone use it.
Well, no, I do have an old diary, of sorts, from my paternal great-grandfather (or was it great-great grandfather?) who served in the British army on the Western Front in WW1, and that's double-spaced after the period, but I though that was just a type-writer thing.

It was actually one of the rules for typing. I was in high school in the mid-late 60s.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

It was actually one of the rules for typing. I was in high school in the mid-late 60s.

... It's really weird and also interesting to see how much language, especially typing has changed, in a generation. Or two.

 

[SummerMadness]

What about term papers and any kind of report having double spaces between lines? Do they still do that?

I still use double spacing, but i think it varies. If I submit a manuscript to a journal, it's usually single spaced (some require double spaced). When working with collaborators, the working paper is usually double spaced so people can easily edit it if they like to work on a printed copy (which you'll still have to enter manually when you send your edits to everyone).

 

[Hank77]

I feel as if I am in that hybrid group, I grew up with a typewriter and a computer in my house, I was lucky enough to grow up with a computer in the house in the '80s (it made the Pentium craze in the '90s seem weird to me).

First computer in the house was in 90. I remember thinking how awesome PCs were even then.
My youngest learned to read and do arithmetic using Learning Tree programs and Hidden items games.

 

[jardiniere]

...the test subjects read paragraphs in Courier New, a fixed-width font...

Ack! Hey, I think there is something possibly wrong with the conclusions, then, since proportional characters (variable width characters) were not used during the investigation, but only a single fixed width font.
I'm thinking that the test should be done over again using proportional font.

 

[PloverWing]

My thumb just automatically does the 2-space thing after periods. After 40 years of typing, it's a habit that's really cemented in.

Most of my text composition is still done in a fixed-width font, because the text editor I use for text is also set up for writing computer programs, a task best done in a fixed-width font. So 2 spaces after a period still looks good to me.

 

[Radagast]

One space between each sentence, they said. Science just proved them wrong.

Completely meaningless study, given that they used Courier New, "a fixed-width font similar to the old typewriters, and rarely used on modern computers." The study had several other flaws as well.

The generally accepted wisdom is 2 spaces with fixed-width fonts, and 1 otherwise.

 

[Bob Crowley]

But was it US English spelling, UK English spelling, or Australian English spelling? In historical terms, UK English spelling came first, US English spelling came second, and Australian English came third.

But they were all using quills back then, so they needed two spaces to absorb the dripping ink blots. And that's how it all started.