First of all, my name is Dan Gibson, and I’m a recovering two space user. Thanks to Farhad Manjoo at Slate for giving me an extra dose of shame to (hopefully) permanently change my behavior.
What galls me about two-spacers isn’t just their numbers. It’s their certainty that they’re right. Over Thanksgiving dinner last year, I asked people what they considered to be the “correct” number of spaces between sentences. The diners included doctors, computer programmers, and other highly accomplished professionals. Everyone—everyone!—said it was proper to use two spaces. Some people admitted to slipping sometimes and using a single space—but when writing something formal, they were always careful to use two. Others explained they mostly used a single space but felt guilty for violating the two-space “rule.” Still others said they used two spaces all the time, and they were thrilled to be so proper. When I pointed out that they were doing it wrong—that, in fact, the correct way to end a sentence is with a period followed by a single, proud, beautiful space—the table balked. “Who says two spaces is wrong?” they wanted to know.
Typographers, that’s who. The people who study and design the typewritten word decided long ago that we should use one space, not two, between sentences. That convention was not arrived at casually.
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2011.
I can tell you that two spaces was the standard for years. It is only in the past two decades that we have moved to one space.
I had never even heard of this until my friend mentioned it recently, and was indeed quite adamant about her correctness. Very weird.
Also weird is the fact that I’m up at 1:12 a.m. commenting about spacing conventions.
For typography geeks, see http://www.webword.com/reports/period.html
I think I was taught single spacing in grade school. Some old writing I found stashed in the archive room from “way back when” seems to confirm that. On a side note, why do I still have this stuff?
We were taught two spaces between sentences in typing class in the 60’s. I think it makes sentences easier to read—they don’t run into each other. I doubt I could change the habit of double spacing at this point.