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I write my question titles with a space before the question mark, as recommended by standard French typography. I even spend time editing other people’s posts to add these spaces when missing, including in titles. And now, I realize that these are ignored and automatically removed by the SE engine.

Please make it stop!

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    Ouch, I see it happens even with unbreakable spaces! C'mon @StackExchange, if I take the trouble to put an unbreakable space, don't you think I mean it‽
    – Gilles 'SO nous est hostile'
    Aug 25, 2011 at 7:17
  • Try an unremovable space.
    – Joubarc
    Aug 25, 2011 at 8:37
  • @Joubarc what do you call an unremovable space? It also happens with unbreakable spaces, as Gilles mention. I only ever put unbreakable spaces before punctuation, anyway :)
    – F'x
    Aug 25, 2011 at 8:43
  • I nearly added "just kidding" but didn't want to infer people wouldn't get it :-) My mistake. Also: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DontExplainTheJoke
    – Joubarc
    Aug 25, 2011 at 8:46
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    Filed a bug report/feature request to the main Meta. Please upvote it there.
    – F'x
    Aug 25, 2011 at 8:53
  • possible duplicate of Non-breaking spaces and punctuation on Stack Exchange
    – M'vy
    Aug 25, 2011 at 14:27
  • Wow, I didn't know there was a such a rule. Personally, and honestly, I don't like when people put that space, but I guess it only (now) applies to the other languages... I didn't know in French it was the rule. :)
    – Alenanno
    Aug 25, 2011 at 16:34
  • @Alenanno not to worry, even some French native speakers don't know it either. Errrmmmmm...
    – Joubarc
    Aug 25, 2011 at 18:19
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    You shouldn't be changing people's posts to add those spaces in, while that may be correct in European French, the rule does not exist for those of us in Canada. (At least, as far as I know. I am not a native Québécois Francophone but I have never seen the space before question mark being done here.)
    – chrbr
    Sep 1, 2011 at 15:01
  • @Shva That's correct, it is recommended in Canada to actually not put a space before any punctuation mark aside the colon and quotation marks.
    – Kareen
    Oct 1, 2011 at 21:26

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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This automatic rewriting has been disabled on French Language & Usage.

Cette réécriture automatique a été désactivée sur notre site.

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  • +1 for teaching me the word "échappatoire".
    – Brennan Vincent
    Aug 30, 2011 at 5:02

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