From angle quotation marks to the ragged right. Attempts to shape typographic usus in Polish publications Cover Image

Od cudzysłowów ostrych do chorągiewki. Próby kształtowania uzusu typograficznego w polskich publikacjach
From angle quotation marks to the ragged right. Attempts to shape typographic usus in Polish publications

Author(s): Dorota Ucherek
Subject(s): Language studies, Cultural history, Library and Information Science
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: typographic usus; editorial usus; typographic layout; congenial book; editorial norm; editorial convention; d2d.pl; Robert Oleś

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to answer the question in what situations and contexts departing from traditional typographic and editorial norms and conventions turns out tobefortunate, aswell as to present the mechanisms of introducing non-traditional solutions among readers and on the market, and thus shaping typographic and editorial usus. After defining thebasic terms for the article: typographic and editorial usus, typography itself and the concept ofacongenial book, traditional Polish typographic layouts and editorial solutions are presented on the example of the quarterly “Pamiętnik Literacki” (“Literary Memoir”) and the series Biblioteka Narodowa (National Library). Next, 11 representative publications on typography, prepared by the d2d.pl company, are analysed from this angle. The analysis covers such aspects of layout astheparameters of headings, text alignment, the function of highlights, the method ofi solating quotations, the use of margins, pagination, types of figures, the location of footnotes, the form of their numbers and references in the main text, the use of first and second degree quotation marks, as well as the appearance of ornaments. The analysis leads to the conclusion that inthe case ofbooks dealing with typography, preserving their original typographic form was the best possible choice, because this form, no less than the content of the text itself, conveys information about the views and recommendations of the authors. The introduction of such solutions tothe Polish publishing market and to the readers’ awareness by apublishing house respected intheeditorial environment undoubtedly influences the typographic and editorial usus, and it can beexpected that in time it will also transform the related norms.

  • Issue Year: 16/2022
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 239-268
  • Page Count: 30
  • Language: English, Polish