Many differences are dividing French-speaking countries for all what is about language level and spelling rules. Belgium, Switzerland, France and Quebec province – if you give me the right to include it as a country – possess their own language specific rules.
What about ponctuation typographic rules? Still, many differences. I have seen it a lot while writing a plugin for typographic rules for Joomla!.
If you give importance to typographic rules in printed media, you also should take care of it on Internet. It seems to me that it’s also very important…
Because these rules may be pretty confusing sometimes, I’ve written a table for it. This table doesn’t include English typographic rules yet, but this is to come in near future. This table isn’t very complete, this is rather a start that will be completed each time I get new information and I think to include it here.
| Replacements | fr_CA | fr_FR |
| : |
nonbreaking space before Example : This is an example. Example : It is 21:42. |
|
| ; |
Here is an example; semicolon has no space. |
nonbreaking space before Here is an example ; semicolon has a space. |
| ? |
This is a question? |
thin nonbreaking space or nonbreaking space before This is a question ? |
| ! |
This is an exclamation! |
thin nonbreaking space or nonbreaking space before This is an exclamation ! |
| $ |
nonbreaking space before sign You owe me 50 $ |
|
| £ | ||
| € | ||
|
|
|
|
nonbreaking space before I’ve got 80 % at my exam |
|
|
nonbreaking space before and after this / that |
|
| ( ) [ ] | nonbreaking space before and after | |
| . | normal space after | |
| , | ||
| … | ||
Thin spaces : In Quebec, if the software you use allows it, put a thin space where rules says to put no space, else no space. Thin space helps lisibility.
Nonbreaking spaces for Web : HTML entity is your friend.
Sources :
Ce message est également disponible en : French
“Thin space helps lisibility.”