I wonder if French punctuation here established differently from the beginning, or if there was a converging period where everyone was placing a space sometimes in front but only France decided to place a space always while others decided to get rid of it? Did the French actively seek to distinguish themselves? Were they originally inspired by someone or some other language practice (latin, etc)? Or are the French more sensitive to punctation than any other Europeans, if so, why? Or is this a mere accidental divergence? (As a contrasting language in this respect, I have Italian in mind particularly as this issue was raised by an Italian friend who finds this extra space unnecessary and possibly snobbish due to its exceptional character.) Apparently this is not obligatory in many European languages if not most or all except French and who knows what else. ![]() ![]() English summary: I would like to know the origin of the rule to place a space (or thin space) before a : ? or ! signs in French.
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