Mixed RTL/LTR setup – LTR-footnotes printed RTL

[pharos-alexandria]

I have a two-column setup with German text in the left column and Syriac text in the right column. In the german text I have regular footnotes (footnoteA) and I use \beforeinsertingX[A]{\LTR}. If the text is only one paragraph and no pagebreak is involved, everything works as it should. But if the text is longer than one page, the footnoteAs are printed RTL instead of LTR.

This is my minimal example:

\documentclass[twoside,14pt,onecolumn,openright ,a4paper]{memoir}
\usepackage{fontspec} 
\usepackage{polyglossia}
\setdefaultlanguage{german}
\usepackage[series={A},noend,noeledsec]{reledmac}
\usepackage{reledpar} 
\arrangementX[A]{paragraph}
\beforeinsertingX[A]{\LTR}
\setotherlanguage{syriac}
\newfontfamily\syriacfont[Mapping=tex-text,Language=Syriac]{Estrangelo Edessa}
\newcommand{\syrisch}{\textsyriac}
\begin{document}
\chapter{Test chapter}
\begin{pairs}
  \begin{Leftside}
    \beginnumbering
    \pstart
      So haben auch die 318 Bischöfe, die in Nicaea eine Synode
    abhielten, die voller göttlicher Weisheit und vollkommener
    Vorhersicht waren, wobei einigen von ihnen Körperteile
    abgeschlagen wurden für Christus durch die Gotthasser, weil sie
    nicht davon abließen, den wahren und truglosen Glauben zu
    bewahren, dass der wahre Sohn nämlich von gleicher Natur und von
    gleichem Wesen ist und dass das einziggeborene Wort kein Geschöpf
    ist, niedergelegt, was von ihnen durch den göttlichen Geist
    gefunden wurde. Es ist folgendes: »Wir glauben an einen Gott, den
    Vater, Allherrscher« {\footnotesize{und so weiter.}}\footnoteA{Sc.
      das Bekenntnis der Synode von Nicaea 325, das vom Exzerptor hier
      ausgelassen wurde.}
    \pend
    \pstart
      So haben auch die 318 Bischöfe, die in Nicaea eine Synode
    abhielten, die voller göttlicher Weisheit und vollkommener
    Vorhersicht waren, wobei einigen von ihnen Körperteile
    abgeschlagen wurden für Christus durch die Gotthasser, weil sie
    nicht davon abließen, den wahren und truglosen Glauben zu
    bewahren, dass der wahre Sohn nämlich von gleicher Natur und von
    gleichem Wesen ist und dass das einziggeborene Wort kein Geschöpf
    ist, niedergelegt, was von ihnen durch den göttlichen Geist
    gefunden wurde. Es ist folgendes: »Wir glauben an einen Gott, den
    Vater, Allherrscher« {\footnotesize{und so weiter.}}\footnoteA{Sc.
      das Bekenntnis der Synode von Nicaea 325, das vom Exzerptor hier
      ausgelassen wurde.}
    \pend
    \endnumbering
  \end{Leftside}
  \begin{Rightside}
    \begin{syriac}
      \beginnumbering
      \pstart
      ܗܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܒܢܝܩܝܐ ܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܤܘܢܗܕܘܣ ܥܒܕܘ ܬܠܬܡܐܐ ܘܬܡܢܬܥܤܪ
      ܐܦܣ̈ܩܦܐ. ܒܗ݁ܝ ܕܐܝܕܥܬܐ ܐܠܗܝܬܐ ܘܥܝܪܘܬܐ ܓܡܝܪܬܐ ܡܠܝܢ ܗܘܘ܆ ܐܝܟ ܕܕܐܢܫܝ̈ܢ
      ܡܢܗܘܢ ܗܕܡ̈ܐ ܕܦܓܪ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܡܛܠ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܡܢ ܤܢܝ̈ܝ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܡܦܤܩܝܢ ܗܘܘ܆ ܟܕ ܠܐ
      ܐܬܚܪܝܘ ܠܘܬ ܗ݁ܝ ܕܗܟܢܐ ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ ܬܪܝܨܬܐ ܘܕܠܐ ܥܕܠܝ ܢܐܚܕܘܢ܆ ܕܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܒܪ
      ܟܝܢܐ ܘܟܕ ܐܝܬܘܬܐ ܒܪܐ ܫܪܝܪܐ܃ ܘܠܐ ܗܘܐ ܒܪܝܬܐ ܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܤܡܘ
      ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܡܢ ܪܘܚܐ ܐܠܗܝܐ ܠܗܘܢ ܐܫܬܟܚ. ܐܝܬܝܗܝܢ ܕܝܢ ܗܠܝܢ. ܡܗܝܡܢܝܢ ܚܢܢ
      ܒܚܕ ܐܠܗܐ ܐܒܐ ܐܚܝܕ ܟܠ.\footnotesize{ ܘܕܫܪܟܐ ܟܠܗܝܢ܂}
      \pend
      \pstart
      ܗܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܒܢܝܩܝܐ ܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܤܘܢܗܕܘܣ ܥܒܕܘ ܬܠܬܡܐܐ ܘܬܡܢܬܥܤܪ
      ܐܦܣ̈ܩܦܐ. ܒܗ݁ܝ ܕܐܝܕܥܬܐ ܐܠܗܝܬܐ ܘܥܝܪܘܬܐ ܓܡܝܪܬܐ ܡܠܝܢ ܗܘܘ܆ ܐܝܟ ܕܕܐܢܫܝ̈ܢ
      ܡܢܗܘܢ ܗܕܡ̈ܐ ܕܦܓܪ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܡܛܠ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܡܢ ܤܢܝ̈ܝ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܡܦܤܩܝܢ ܗܘܘ܆ ܟܕ ܠܐ
      ܐܬܚܪܝܘ ܠܘܬ ܗ݁ܝ ܕܗܟܢܐ ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ ܬܪܝܨܬܐ ܘܕܠܐ ܥܕܠܝ ܢܐܚܕܘܢ܆ ܕܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܒܪ
      ܟܝܢܐ ܘܟܕ ܐܝܬܘܬܐ ܒܪܐ ܫܪܝܪܐ܃ ܘܠܐ ܗܘܐ ܒܪܝܬܐ ܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܤܡܘ
      ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܡܢ ܪܘܚܐ ܐܠܗܝܐ ܠܗܘܢ ܐܫܬܟܚ. ܐܝܬܝܗܝܢ ܕܝܢ ܗܠܝܢ. ܡܗܝܡܢܝܢ ܚܢܢ
      ܒܚܕ ܐܠܗܐ ܐܒܐ ܐܚܝܕ ܟܠ.\footnotesize{ ܘܕܫܪܟܐ ܟܠܗܝܢ܂}
      \pend
      \endnumbering
    \end{syriac}
  \end{Rightside}
\end{pairs}
\Columns 
\end{document}

[maieul]

You must use

\bhookgroupX{\LTR}

which is called before footnote are outputed

[pharos-alexandria]

Thank you very much! I missed this in the manual scanning for mentioned RTL/LTR-caveats...

[maieul]

is there a caveat? I didn't remember…

[pharos-alexandria]

It is several times mentioned that if you have setups like mine you should do this or that. And that's why I thought that \beforeinsertingX[A]{\LTR} will do what I want. It's in 7.10 (p. 44)

[maieul]

ah, yeh, I understand. p. 44 explanation is if you called your LTR footnote inside a RTL texte. That is not your case.

You problem, here, is that you have a right RTL columns. So when XeTeX typeset the footnote, it is in RTL mode.

I think a caveat could be nice, but we have so many possibilities, that I don't know in which order presenting them.

Maybe @ralessi have an opinion…

[pharos-alexandria]

Thanks anyway for the fast response – so to speak my personal manual...!

[ralessi]

As I am so to speak barging into this thread, I may have missed some points. Basically, in Arabic you have to ways of building up a critical edition: either all in Arabic, with an apparatus that has to be RTL as well, or—as we usually do in Western countries—with an apparatus that has to be LTR. This is why, in my opinion, both ways must be available. As for Syriac texts, only the latter makes sense.

Of course, these personal remarks are based on my own experience and my own interests.

[maieul]

maybe we could add section in the handbook about it with this two types of typesetting, and explanation for both XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX, and we could complete if other case happen

[pharos-alexandria]

My edition is mostly Greek and Latin with one Syriac text, and this was/is my first time to handle such a case. Otherwise I have Syriac only in the critical apparatus. And it would surely most helpful, if there could be a section in the handbook. But I fear I would not be able to write this, but I volunteer for giving feedback.

[maieul]

yeh I need to take time… but with my PhD to finish and the teachin to prepare, not obvious

[pharos-alexandria]

All the best for finishing the PhD!