Maybe this is a silly question: Have you ever wondered why paragraphs are indented? I never did, but after my friend Jane G. brought it up and shared a Facebook® post on the subject, I got interested, and the answer is so intriguing.
Nerd alert!
What I learned is that during the Middle Ages, documents were copied by people called scribes, and there were several scribes and several steps involved in the intricate process they followed. Rather than starting a new paragraph to indicate a change in topic, the first scribe left a blank space. When they were finished with their part of the process (copying the document), they handed the document over to specialized scribes called rubricators, who were responsible for embellishing the document. They’re the ones who added an elaborate ornamental (often bright red) symbol in the blank space. The symbol they used was a precursor to the pilcrow symbol that is still used today (¶) to indicate a paragraph—although now the pilcrow is mostly relegated to editors and writing instructors.
What appears to have happened is that the rubricators sometimes ran out of time during the embellishment phase, which left empty spaces where the pilcrow symbols were intended to be placed. The problem grew worse with the advent of the printing press. Demand grew for printed material, and rubricators just couldn’t keep up.
Eventually, the empty space rather than the pilcrow marked a new paragraph. And now, as you can see in my formatting of this email, the space at the beginning of each paragraph is sometimes a line space rather than an indentation.
If you’re a nerd of enormous proportions, like me and Jane G., and you want to know more about this topic, read The Origin of the Pilcrow, aka the Strange Paragraph Symbol or watch Abraham Piper’s Facebook post.
Example of text with embellishment
Another example—note the shape of the pilcrow.
I hope you enjoyed this trip down medieval lane.
Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry
Pronouns she/her/hers
9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123
Symitar Education Resources (sharepoint.com)
About Editor’s Corner
Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.
Did someone forward this email to you? Click here to subscribe.
Don’t want to get Editor’s Corner anymore? Click here to unsubscribe.
Do you have a question or an idea for Editor’s Corner? Send your suggestions or feedback to Kara and <a href="mailto:DBurcher.
NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.
Editor's Corner 
Leave a comment