Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on May 05, 2018, 08:40:13 AM

Title: One space, or two?
Post by: Nearly Sane on May 05, 2018, 08:40:13 AM


I hadn't realized there was such a battle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/05/04/one-space-between-each-sentence-they-said-science-just-proved-them-wrong-2/
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: Gordon on May 05, 2018, 09:57:09 AM
I'm a believer in the single space doctrine: some might find that heretical, and if so then it is they who are the heretics and we right-minded single-spacers must rise up and suppress these wrong-headed infidels.
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: Harrowby Hall on May 05, 2018, 10:19:36 AM
I don't think that in advanced countries there is such a struggle.

This is just a problem that has developed in one of our former colonies. When the ex-colonials manage to acquire some pretence of maturity, they will realise that the linguistic and paralinguistic behaviour of the mother country is well worth emulating.

Unfortunately, their loud voices and frequent incursions into electronic media mean that some of their educational failings (like incorrect spelling) are finding their ways into the linguistic behaviour of some of our citizens. They should be told that "color" should have two "l" s and that the second "o" should be "a".

One of their most egregious failings is to be ignorant of difference between verbs and nouns: "driving license" is an error so heinous that it almost makes the page on which it appears unreadable.

Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: SusanDoris on May 05, 2018, 10:57:41 AM
I don't think that in advanced countries there is such a struggle.

This is just a problem that has developed in one of our former colonies. When the ex-colonials manage to acquire some pretence of maturity, they will realise that the linguistic and paralinguistic behaviour of the mother country is well worth emulating.

Unfortunately, their loud voices and frequent incursions into electronic media mean that some of their educational failings (like incorrect spelling) are finding their ways into the linguistic behaviour of some of our citizens. They should be told that "color" should have two "l" s and that the second "o" should be "a".

One of their most egregious failings is to be ignorant of difference between verbs and nouns: "driving license" is an error so heinous that it almost makes the page on which it appears unreadable.
:) Wel, of corse - who could possibly doubt what you say?!!
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: Steve H on May 05, 2018, 03:00:57 PM
I used two spaces after a full stop all my life until about a year ago, when someone convinced me it was unnecessary. On Facebook, double spaces are converted to single spaces anyway.
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: jeremyp on May 05, 2018, 04:15:29 PM

I hadn't realized there was such a battle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/05/04/one-space-between-each-sentence-they-said-science-just-proved-them-wrong-2/

The study is fatally flawed in that they used a monospaced font. If you are using a proper proportional font you should go with the convention that typesetters have used for centuries i.e. one space after a full stop.
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: ad_orientem on May 08, 2018, 05:29:06 AM
I wonder why Yanks call a fullstop a period. Weird country.

I've only ever used one space.
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: Nearly Sane on May 08, 2018, 06:26:11 AM
I wonder why Yanks call a fullstop a period. Weird country.

I've only ever used one space.


http://grammarist.com/usage/full-stop-period/
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: Aruntraveller on May 08, 2018, 09:19:43 AM
Well the Grammarist is wrong surely?

Quote
Outside the U.S. and Britain, full stop is generally preferred to period,

We use full stop here don't we? Or have you all been converted to Murrican and I didn't notice.
Title: Re: One space, or two?
Post by: Harrowby Hall on May 08, 2018, 10:12:07 AM
Warning - joke in poor taste ....

The menopause is a full stop ...    ::)


More serious comment - period is an English word with more than one meaning. Full stop is a term with a specific meaning although it is also used metaphorically in non-literary situations.