TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: hyphenation From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 14 Feb 1996 15:52:38 -0800
David (the puzzled idiot) Ibbetson asks:
>I was asked to post these examples of hyphenation. Can somebody explain to
>me how they happen. I think it's fair to say that WordStar 2 would have done
>better.
>----------------------
>Al-ltrans
>1,-222 Not the first time they've hyphenated numbers
>superb-rewery
>Pen-nzoil's
>coin-cide
>Nation-sBank
>hardli-ness
Software manages hypenation in one of two ways -- Either
it has a list of words, divided sylabically (sp?) in a
hyphenation table, or it's rule based.
If hyphenation is based on a table of words, the only
words you can automatically hyphenate are the ones in
the table (shortcomming) -- but, all the words that
do get hyphenated automagically are correctly divided
(benefit). MS Word has a hyphenation table.
If hyphenation is based on rules, you can hyphenate
any word that comes along (benefit) -- but, the words
may not be hyphenated correctly because English has
more exceptions than rules (shortcomming). Frame
has rule-based hyphenation.
You can always tell a rule-based hyphenator. ;-)
-Sue Gallagher
sgallagher -at- expersoft -dot- com
