[bksvol-discuss] Re: long dashes.
- From: "Jamie Yates, CPhT" <jamieyates@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 15:09:59 -0800 (PST)
My local newspaper, The Morning Sun, uses a double dash instead of an em dash
in their print version of the paper. It's true that a double hyphen is what an
em dash always was before we had computers and printers.
Word automatically converts a double dash to an em dash unless you tell it
not to do so.
With a very old typewriter you could easily tell it was a double dash but
with good print quality, I don't think you can easily tell if you're looking at
a double dash or an em dash unless you look very closely.
I think if you're going to use the argument that you have to keep it as it is
in print then you have to keep everything that is in the print version
including where a line ends on the page, headers, footers, where the page
number is located (even if it's in the margin in the middle of the page), etc.
At some point you have to say what is a workable book and what is not? If an
em dash is not workable in braille, just like smart quotes are not workable in
braille, then you have to take that into consideration.
Jamie in Michigan
Currently Reading - Imitation in Death by J. D. Robb
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