https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=62923
--- Comment #15 from Simo Kaupinmäki <[email protected]> --- Reflecting on comment 10. Basically, I think language-specific exceptions to the autocorrection scheme are far from an optimal solution. The "A--B" rule in itself is quite mechanical and straightforward, but whether it is applicable to a particular language or typographical tradition, is a different matter. As far as English is concerned, it is an oversimplified solution, even after the number-range problem has been fixed. The cited exception for Finnish is valid simply because the em dash is hardly ever used in modern Finnish typography (this applies to Swedish typography as well, by the way). Therefore it's generally considered safe to replace a double hyphen with an en dash, regardless of the context and function of the dash. However, within a particular language or even within a regional variant of the language, there can be contrasting traditions and house styles. Quoting Wikipedia: "The Oxford Guide to Style (2002, section 5.10.10) acknowledges that the spaced en dash is used by 'other British publishers', but states that the Oxford University Press—like 'most US publishers'—uses the unspaced em dash." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash#En_dash_versus_em_dash Of course, the choice between the spaced en dash and the unspaced em dash is not a problem here, since the current autocorrection scheme seems designed to handle just this kind of variation. However, the scheme has (until now) completely failed to take into account that, besides the unspaced em dash, some English style guides also prescibe the use of the unspaced _en_ dash for some specific functions. The exception made for number ranges should fix this bug as initially described (I haven't tested the fix yet). Unfortunately, this is only a partial solution to the basic problem. Granted, it is a step forward, because you now have a simple way to insert an en dash in a date range, such as "10--12 July". But analogously, the en dash can also occur between the names of months, as in "June--July 1967". Therefore, users will still need an alternative way to insert the en dash between two words. It would seem rather inconsistent to have a different method for inserting the en dash between words than between digits. Wikipedia has more examples of the unspaced en dash as required by some English style guides: - Radical--Unionist coalition - Boston--Hartford route - Mother--daughter relationship - The McCain--Feingold bill - Pre--Civil War era - Pulitzer Prize--winning novel - Public-school--private-school rivalries etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash#En_dash If you want to use the unspaced em dash for one function and the unspaced en dash for another, you need to be able to indicate whether it is the em dash or the en dash that is wanted in a specific context. This cannot rely on simply replacing double hyphens mechanically. What is needed is rather a specific and consistent method for inserting each kind of dash, at the user's discretion. -- You are receiving this mail because: You are the assignee for the bug.
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