Catalan language "ela geminada"
You have several options available.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[catalan]{babel}
\usepackage{newunicodechar}
\newunicodechar{Ŀ}{\L.}
\newunicodechar{ŀ}{\l.}
\begin{document}
CE\Lgem A -- ce\lgem a
CE\L.LA -- ce\l.la
CE"LA -- ce"la
CEĿLA -- ceŀla
\end{document}
The last uses the Unicode characters (and requires UTF-8), the first three work in any input encoding.
Some time ago, one of my university colleagues gave me the following code to use the punt volat (Shift+3
on a spanish keyboard) as an active character. Sometimes I use it but I don't have it on any 'official' style file, then it's easier for me to use "l
or \lgem{}
.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[catalan]{babel}
\usepackage{lmodern}
%Definició de la ela geminada per tal que accepti el punt volat del teclat
\def·#1{%
\ifmmode
\cdot #1
%\csname normal@char\string"\endcsname l%
\else%
\def\argument{#1}%
\if\argument l%
\leftllkern=0pt\rightllkern=0pt\raiselldim=0pt%
\setbox0\hbox{l}\setbox1\hbox{l\/}\setbox2\hbox{.}%
\advance\raiselldim by \the\fontdimen5\the\font
\advance\raiselldim by -\ht2%
\leftllkern=-.25\wd0%
\advance\leftllkern by \wd1%
\advance\leftllkern by -\wd0%
\rightllkern=-.25\wd0%
\advance\rightllkern by -\wd1%
\advance\rightllkern by \wd0%
\allowhyphens\discretionary{-}{l}%
{\hbox{}\kern\leftllkern\raise\raiselldim\hbox{.}%
\kern\rightllkern\hbox{l}}\allowhyphens%
\else
\if\argument L%
\leftllkern=0pt\rightllkern=0pt\raiselldim=0pt%
\setbox0\hbox{L}\setbox1\hbox{L\/}\setbox2\hbox{.}%
\advance\raiselldim by .5\ht0%
\advance\raiselldim by -.5\ht2%
\leftllkern=-.125\wd0%
\advance\leftllkern by \wd1%
\advance\leftllkern by -\wd0%
\rightllkern=-\wd0%
\divide\rightllkern by 6%
\advance\rightllkern by -\wd1%
\advance\rightllkern by \wd0%
\allowhyphens\discretionary{-}{L}%
{\hbox{}\kern\leftllkern\raise\raiselldim\hbox{.}%
\kern\rightllkern\hbox{L}}\allowhyphens%
\else
#1
\fi
\fi
\fi
}
\begin{document}
cel·la
CEL·LA
\end{document}
The result is:
An alternative solution, based on the previous one. Redefining directly · is not a good idea (problems with TOC, for example), and the proper way is redefining the LICR object \textperiodcentered
. I even consider impossible cases, like l·L. I wrote it long ago and posted to the list es-tex (CervanTeX), and here I just copy and paste it:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[catalan]{babel}
\def\xgem{%
\ifmmode
\csname normal@char\string"\endcsname l%
\else
\leftllkern=0pt\rightllkern=0pt\raiselldim=0pt
\setbox0\hbox{l}\setbox1\hbox{l\/}\setbox2\hbox{.}%
\advance\raiselldim by \the\fontdimen5\the\font
\advance\raiselldim by -\ht2
\leftllkern=-.25\wd0%
\advance\leftllkern by \wd1
\advance\leftllkern by -\wd0
\rightllkern=-.25\wd0%
\advance\rightllkern by -\wd1
\advance\rightllkern by \wd0
\allowhyphens\discretionary{-}{}%
{\kern\leftllkern\raise\raiselldim\hbox{.}%
\kern\rightllkern}\allowhyphens
\fi
}
\def\Xgem{%
\ifmmode
\csname normal@char\string"\endcsname L%
\else
\leftllkern=0pt\rightllkern=0pt\raiselldim=0pt
\setbox0\hbox{L}\setbox1\hbox{L\/}\setbox2\hbox{.}%
\advance\raiselldim by .5\ht0
\advance\raiselldim by -.5\ht2
\leftllkern=-.125\wd0%
\advance\leftllkern by \wd1
\advance\leftllkern by -\wd0
\rightllkern=-\wd0%
\divide\rightllkern by 6
\advance\rightllkern by -\wd1
\advance\rightllkern by \wd0
\allowhyphens\discretionary{-}{}%
{\kern\leftllkern\raise\raiselldim\hbox{.}%
\kern\rightllkern}\allowhyphens
\fi
}
\newbox\LL\hbox{l·l L·l l·L L·L}
% No lo uso, pero es como podría guardarse el valor
% anterior:
\expandafter\let\expandafter\saveperiodcentered
\csname T1\string\textperiodcentered \endcsname
% Y aquí está el quid. No hago nada con el argumento, pero
% se podría usar para, por ejemplo, considerar los 4 casos
% por separado:
\DeclareTextCommand{\textperiodcentered}{T1}[1]{%
\ifnum\spacefactor=998
\Xgem
\else
\xgem
\fi#1}
\begin{document}
Por defecto:
\leavevmode\box\LL
\sfcode`L=998
Corregido:
l·l L·l l·L L·L
\end{document}