wl pushed a commit to branch master
in repository groff.
commit d592d320cd43cf4ecee67a7aa80b52691671465d
Author: Werner Lemberg <w...@gnu.org>
Date: Sun Mar 4 08:34:20 2018 +0100
groff.texi: Improve documentation of `.hy' request.
---
doc/groff.texi | 35 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/doc/groff.texi b/doc/groff.texi
index cbaf495..3abd114 100644
--- a/doc/groff.texi
+++ b/doc/groff.texi
@@ -7044,13 +7044,34 @@ value is larger than@tie{}1.
Using values 4 and@tie{}16 can't be used together since they contradict
each other; the same holds for values 8 and@tie{}32.
-For historical reasons the default value of the @code{hy} request
-doesn't fit the American English hyphenation patterns that are used by
-groff as the default. These patterns expect that neither the first
-character nor the last two characters are to be hyphenated; this
-corresponds to value@tie{}4. Consequently, @code{hy}'s default
-value@tie{}1 or even setting values 16 or@tie{}32 might lead to
-(additional) incorrect hyphenation points.
+The number of characters at the beginning of a word after which the
+first hyphenation point should be inserted is determined by the patterns
+themselves; it can't be reduced further without introducing additional,
+invalid hyphenation points (unfortunately, this information is not part
+of a pattern file, you have to know it in advance). The same is true
+for the number of characters at the end of word before the last
+hyphenation point should be inserted. For example, the code
+
+@Example
+.ll 1
+.hy 48
+@endExample
+
+returns
+
+@Example
+s-
+plit-
+t-
+in-
+g
+@endExample
+
+instead of the correct `split-ting'. US-English patterns as distributed
+with groff need two characters at the beginning and three characters at
+the end; this means that value@tie{}4 of @code{hy} is mandatory.
+Value@tie{}8 is possible as an additional restriction, but values@tie{}1
+(the default!), 16, and@tie{}32 should be avoided.
Hyphenation exceptions within pattern files (i.e., the words within a
@code{\hyphenation} group) also obey the hyphenation restrictions given
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