my problem with the emdash

[nibot]

I think the mdash — which I am ilustrating right here — should be offset with spaces.

Convention is that the emdash—which is just a hyphenated parenthetical interjection—is not.

Comments

[eigenvalue.livejournal.com]

I agree.

[fanlain.livejournal.com]

I disagree. I think it might look a bit nicer in aesthetics but doesn't suit the reason to use an emdash which, by the way, is more than a hyphenated parenthetical interjection.

An emdash is there to illustrate an abrupt topic change, and an endash is read as a slighter abrupt change than an emdash.

A space is meant to separate words.

If there were a space before and after the emdash, it would be read less like the abrupt topic change it was meant to be used as.

I think for this statement, it'd be more proper to use a comma and treat it as an appositive:

I think the mdash, which I am ilustrating right here, should be offset with spaces.

At any rate, an emdash is better than the more often use "--" which is even more wrong ...