[XeTeX] Typographic question : quotation marks and apostrophes

[Jonathan Kew]

On 15 Dec 2011, at 14:30, Philip TAYLOR wrote:

> I know that a number of excellent typographers inhabit this
> list, so I would like to pick their brains if I may ?
> 
> In "Two wide ‘weaver’s windows’, usually found on the ground floor"
> (which could equally well be "Two wide ‘weavers’ windows’, usually
> found on the ground floor", but I am not the author), the apostrophe
> of "weaver’s/weavers’" is the same Unicode character as the closing
> quotation mark of "windows’".  Should it be ?

Yes.

A couple of excerpts from NamesList.txt:

0027    APOSTROPHE
        = apostrophe-quote (1.0)
        = APL quote
        * neutral (vertical) glyph with mixed usage
        * 2019 is preferred for apostrophe
        * preferred characters in English for paired quotation marks are 2018 & 2019
        x (modifier letter prime - 02B9)
        x (modifier letter apostrophe - 02BC)
        x (modifier letter vertical line - 02C8)
        x (combining acute accent - 0301)
        x (prime - 2032)
        x (latin small letter saltillo - A78C)

...

2019    RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK
        = single comma quotation mark
        * this is the preferred character to use for apostrophe
        x (apostrophe - 0027)
        x (modifier letter apostrophe - 02BC)
        x (heavy single comma quotation mark ornament - 275C)

JK