fisher@sc2a.unige.ch (05/31/91)
In article <1991May30.144337.29285@zeus.mgmt.purdue.edu>, landers@zeus.mgmt.purdue.edu (Christopher Landers) writes: >> ` openquote > | -- this is an accent (grave or ague, I can't remember) > >> ' closequote > | -- this is an appostrophe, not a quote, although > some programming languages use it as a quote > > " is a quote, the nutered typerwritter/computer version > typesetters and good word processors can generate proper > open and close quote marks I have never seen a printer on which the `openquote' is treated as a grave accent. Some wordprocessors simulate accentuated characters with the quote and the apostrophe (respectively for grave and acute accents), but this is the same as using the comma to simulate a cedilla or the double quote for an umlaut (diaresis?). Even the tilde has aquired its independance and doesn't fit over an `n' anymore... Sad state of affairs... Using ASCII and a non-proportional font (i.e. typewriter style), you use "xxx" for both opening and closing quotes. Using a proportional font, you can replace them with ``xxx'', as they will be printed very close to one-another. In some cases, single quotes (`xxx') can be used, either with a different meaning or for citations within citations... I have even seen: << The text contained a citation ``which in turn contained a `sub-citation' ''! >> On the Net, it seems that the `single quotes' replace italics (emphasis) for people who don't like *bold* or _underline_ :-), and that the "double quotes are used only for true citations". In french, you should prefer the angular quotes << and >> (i.e. extended ASCII 174 and 175). In some fonts (variants of the Helvetica), the single angular quote (resembling < and >, but smaller) are used instead. In german, you can use either ,,xxx'' or >>xxx<< (yes, the other way around, don't ask me why), and you can use ,xxx' or >xxx< for citations within a citation. This means that we have: Single quotes: `english', ,german' and <french> (not found in ASCII) Double quotes: "typewriter", ``english'', ,,german'' and <<french>> (extended ascii only. Grave accent: `, in fact more like a small \ (not found in ASCII) Acute accent: ', in fact more like a small / (not found in ASCII) Apostrophe: ' the same as a single closing quote. Or the other way around: ': Apostrophe and single closing quote, sometimes coding for the acute accent. Shaped like a small `9', like the comma but higher. Often printed as a single symetrical quote or apostrophe with non-proportional fonts. `: Single opening quote, sometiems coding for the grave accent. Shaped like a small inverted `9' on screen, but like a small `6' on most printer. Same as above, often printed symetrically (e.g. in Courier). ": Double symetrical quote, rarely used with proportional fonts and sometimes coding for the umlaut. ,: Comma and german single opening quote, sometimes coding for the cedilla. etc... Hmm... this grew to a longer text than I intended... Enough for now, Markus G. Fischer, Dept of Anthropology, Geneva CH fisher@sc2a.unige.ch