Have you ever wondered why books and newspapers (including this newspaper) have indented paragraph starts?
Every paragraph (except the introductory one) in this column has a three-millimetre space at the first line.
It used to be, in pre-digital times, an em. This was a space of the same width as a capital letter is high in whichever type size you are looking at.
The reason for the space is, largely, homage to the incredible speed at which page compositors, those clever fellows, did their work.
In the early days of printing, as the process of making a book changed from monks copying manuscripts (Latin “manu”, meaning by hand; and “scriptus” meaning written) to moveable type, there was a change-over period with some work by hand still being done.
The compositors, those who composed type, set up most of a page ready to print but left a space at the start of each paragraph for artists, known as rubricators, to draw in a paragraph-marking illumination which was sometimes a detailed drawing in colourful inks.
Compositors (I am extremely proud to say I served an apprenticeship as a compositor, 1979-83) worked too quickly for these arty types.
They had probably been to art college which, nowadays, merely teaches people how to slack off and smoke strange-smelling roll-up cigarettes.
But ye olde news couldn’t wait. The pages were sometimes published without their rubrications. So the space that was left became what marked the start of a new paragraph, and this became standard usage.
However, modern newspaper page designers sometimes don’t like paragraph-start spaces. Especially on feature pages, the space is done away with.
Frankly, I am not a fan of this. Not one tiny bit!
I like type which is easy to understand, which leads the reader round a page. I like readers to clearly understand where a new paragraph starts. I like them to read not only the words the writer intended but to follow the thought process intended.
In a book, or other longer piece of writing, a paragraph end is a pause in the flow of information. A new paragraph is a new thought, or deals with a new subject.
Perhaps it denotes a shift of scene, or a new speaker. Perhaps it is a good place to take a sip of tea.
A well-placed paragraph end, and a new beginning, is the insertion of contemplation time. A pause for the intellect to take a firm grasp.
It is civilised.
And reading should always be, if it is nothing else, a civilised pastime.
Word of the week
Daedal (adjective)
Skilled, artistic, cunningly wrought. EG: “A well-constructed piece of writing with a finely-chosen vocabulary, lucid flow, and daedal paragraph breaks, and will be a pleasure to read as well as a purveyor of information.”
Read the latest Oh my word! every Saturday in The Courier. Contact me at sfinan@dctmedia.co.uk
