In article <ca253e2f50.r...@user.minijem.plus.com>,
Richard Porter <r...@minijem.plus.com> wrote:
[snip]
> I'm trying to imagine just how you would intonate 'emphasised' and
> 'strong' so as to differentiate them. In fact I don't really know what
> 'strong' means in this context.
Neither do I, in general; however, some combination of pauses,
rising/falling tones, increased/reduced volume, changing what is known as
attack etc are available to the style sheet designer and will be quite as
effective as visual forms of styling. The audible effects used, however,
are very often also tied to a particular language which in normal use is
intoned differently from other languages.
> If I want to emphasise something on
> the page I would put it into bold text. I use italics to differentiate
> a particular word or phrase in much the same way as putting quotes
> round it.
Now when I was under the tutelage of the Leeds University Printer in
the early days of computer printing I was told emphasis is always some form
of italic or oblique (if no compatible italic face was available) - which
does not preclude italic being used for other purposes if needed. Various
forms of bold are used for headings and - very very occasionally in
combination with italic where emphasised text or italic for some other
purposes -does- itself need emphasising.
> If you want full disability access you shouldn't be using colours to
> convey meaning. Colours are of little use in audio terms.
Indeed - you then use an appropriate @media directive in the style
sheet.
> You seem to be saying that we should rigidly stick to particular tags
> for specific purposes and then in the next breath that you do whatever
> you want in the stylesheets. This seems not a little inconsistent.
No! If the author wishes to direct that some part of a document should
be a heading or a paragraph or emphasised or a list or an aside or image or
... this is the author's prerogative and has nothing at all to do with
styling.
The person styling the visible or audible result will then be free to
decide which 'effects' to make use of in concretion of the author's wishes.
This is entirely proper - a bit like the way a publisher takes an author's
'manuscript' and in consultation with a master printer and a type designer
decides on the style which will be used for various features of the text.
Where a browser user has particular needs or restrictions then he/she
is able to define their own style rules - if needs be labelling them
!important to over-ride what the original stylist specified as and if
necessary. It is a bit difficult doing that for a print medium in the
publishing business - so - one up to style sheets and browsers.
A little longer than I originally intended, but I hope I have
adequately explained the content, styling and media differences.
Keith
--
Inspired!
