[XeTeX] problems with fontspec and german sharp s ligature

[Ulrike Fischer]

Am Tue, 8 Apr 2008 11:49:11 +0200 schrieb Yves Codet:


>>> However, this might be missing a subtle point of German typsetting --
>>> how is the sharp s supposed to be hyphenated?
>>
>> It is not hyphenated: schlie-ßen, Grü-ße.
> 
> Unless I'm mistaken this is the new spelling; in the old spelling one  
> would have Grüs-se, I think.

That's an urban legend. I have here a "Duden" from 1986 which states
clearly "ß bezeichnet immer einen Laut und wird nicht getrennt". That
means more or less: "ß is one char and is not hyphenated". 

The old Duden says even, that when "ss" is used instead of ß (e.g. on a
typewriter which doesn't have a ß) then the ss is not hyphenated:
müs-sen (normal case) but Grü-sse (because it comes from Grü-ße). This
has changed with the new spelling (probably because nobody used this
rule anyway). Now you hyphenate Grüs-se.



-- 
Ulrike Fischer