4

I need certain symbols for describing poetic meter, which texdoc symbols tells me are provided by the textcomp package.

The symbols do appear with the default Computer Modern (loading no font package), with lmodern and with tgpagella packages.

But do not appear with libertine or ebgaramond.

I can't find any specific documentation on textcomp (texdoc textcomp is a detailed discussion of font encodings) so I would appreciate if someone could help me understand what the package is doing, and not doing in these situations.

(I know there are Unicode possibilities with LuaLaTeX but for this project I would like to use libertine with pdfLaTeX.)

Here is the example:

\documentclass{article}
%\usepackage{libertine} % symbols disappear if you uncomment this line
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{textcomp}

\begin{document}
\begin{tabular}{ll}
Trochee & \textasciiacute\textasciibreve\\
Iamb & \textasciibreve\textasciiacute\\
Dactyl & \textasciiacute\textasciiacute\textasciibreve\\
\end{tabular}
\end{document}

UPDATE 2015/01/09

Thanks to @egreg, this is the solution I am using. I increased the font size of the metric symbols to better match the main font, adjusted their vertical space to align with the text and distinguish between accent and breve, and inserted some space between the metrical groups.

These are accentuation patterns in octosyllabic Spanish verse, from Robert Lauer, Spanish Metrification, http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/L/A-Robert.R.Lauer-1/METRIFICATION.html.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{libertine}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}

% METRICAL SYMBOLS
% Using glyphs from TeX Gyre Termes (thanks to egreg)
\DeclareRobustCommand{\termesfont}{%
    \fontencoding{TS1}\fontsize{16pt}{18pt}\fontfamily{qtm}\selectfont%
}
% Accent and breve (accent higher vertical position than breve; both need kerning after)
\newcommand{\accentacute}{\raisebox{-1ex}{\termesfont\symbol{180}\kern 1pt}}
\newcommand{\accentbreve}{\raisebox{-1.5ex}{\termesfont\symbol{128}\kern 1pt}}

% Compound metrical symbols with space after
\newcommand{\trochee}{\accentacute\accentbreve\enspace}             % '_
\newcommand{\iamb}{\accentbreve\accentacute\enspace}                % _'
\newcommand{\dactyl}{\accentacute\accentbreve\accentbreve\enspace}  % '_ _
\newcommand{\anapest}{\accentbreve\accentacute\accentbreve\enspace} % _'_

\begin{document}

\begin{tabular}{ll}
Trochaic            & \trochee\trochee\trochee\trochee\\[1ex]
Dactylic            & \dactyl\dactyl\trochee\\[1ex]
Mixed A             & \anapest\dactyl\trochee\\[1ex]
Mixed B             & \anapest\anapest\trochee\\[1ex]
\end{tabular}

\end{document}

enter image description here

musarithmia
  • 12,463

1 Answers1

4

The glyphs are not supported by Libertine in TS1 encoding. Why? I don't know. However in the log file you find

Missing character: There is no <B4> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!
Missing character: There is no <80> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!
Missing character: There is no <80> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!
Missing character: There is no <B4> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!
Missing character: There is no <B4> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!
Missing character: There is no <B4> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!
Missing character: There is no <80> in font LinLibertineT-tlf-ts1!

which accounts for the missing glyphs.

You can supply them by choosing a font that has the glyphs, for instance TeX Gyre Termes (qtm):

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{libertine} % symbols disappear if you uncomment this line
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{textcomp}

\DeclareRobustCommand{\textasciiacute}{{%
  \fontencoding{TS1}\fontfamily{qtm}\selectfont\symbol{180}%
}}
\DeclareRobustCommand{\textasciibreve}{{%
  \fontencoding{TS1}\fontfamily{qtm}\selectfont\symbol{128}%
}}

\begin{document}
\begin{tabular}{ll}
Trochee & \textasciiacute\textasciibreve\\
Iamb & \textasciibreve\textasciiacute\\
Dactyl & \textasciiacute\textasciiacute\textasciibreve\\
\end{tabular}
\end{document}

enter image description here

egreg
  • 1,121,712
  • Isn't the textcomp package supposed to be pulling in the missing glyphs? – musarithmia Nov 14 '14 at 21:34
  • @AndrewCashner No. Only some substitute glyphs are defined; however, I provided a workaround. – egreg Nov 14 '14 at 21:37
  • Thank you! Does this render textcomp unnecessary if I was only using it for this purpose? – musarithmia Nov 14 '14 at 21:43
  • @AndrewCashner I'd say so. – egreg Nov 14 '14 at 21:44
  • Thanks. Also for this which helps me understand more generally: http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/207084/how-can-i-include-a-symbol-with-correct-size-and-relative-position-without-direc/208413#208413 – musarithmia Nov 14 '14 at 22:36
  • Note that textcomp does some things you might not be aware of and may give better results even if you don't get errors without it. (This is less true the less well a font supports the encoding, of course, so it may be doing nothing for you at all. Just bear in mind that it can make somewhat subtle changes in some cases.) – cfr Jan 09 '15 at 22:18