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Babel

The multilingual framework to localize LaTeX, LuaLaTeX, XeLaTeX

What’s new in babel 3.62

2021-07-19

Most changes in this version are minor improvements in the code.

⚠ This version introduced a severe bug in XeTeX with CJK, fixed in 3.63.

Unknown languages in auxiliary files

A warning is shown instead of raising an error if a language is not found (for example, if there was a typo in the document).

LaTeX hooks

⚠ This section has been modified with the release of version 3.64, after some changes in the LaTeX hooking mechanism. Note it may require latex-dev.

There is some partial support for the new LaTeX hooks. The hooks predefined by babel has the same names as those of \AddBabelHook, the main limitation being the parameters passed with the babel mechanism are not allowed. The generic unlocalized hooks are predefined, so that you can write:

\AddToHook{babel/*/afterextras}{\frenchspacing}

which is executed always after the extras for the language being selected (and just before the non-localized hooks defined with \AddBabelHook). Here the star means ‘all languages’.

In addition, locale-specific hooks in the form babel/language-name/hook-name are recognized (executed just before the localized babel hooks), but they are not predefined. You have to do it yourself. For example, to set \frenchspacing only in bangla (Bangla or Bengali):

\ActivateGenericHook{babel/bangla/afterextras}
\AddToHook{babel/bangla/afterextras}{\frenchspacing}

This mechanism does not replace the current one in babel. Its main advantage is you can reconfigure babel even before loading it.

Fixes

Option provide extended

Requires LaTeX 2021-06-01, and still somewhat experimental.

Instead of a star, the package option provide=can be followed by a string to be passed to \babelprovide (rememer this option refers to the main language). There is a difference – to separate options use semicolons instead of commas. You may need to wrap the string with braces. The option import is passed, too, even if not explicitly requested. A simple example is:

\usepackage[provide = maparabic, telugu]{babel}

It loads the ini declarations for Telugu much like:

\babelprovide[main, import, maparabic]{babel}

There is an advantage in this way to load the language, namely, the language is set as a package (or class) option, which is the standard way to configure languages in LaTeX.