UPDATE-LANGUAGE(8)

✨ NAME ✨

update-language — bestie, this is the lil tool that generates hyphenation configuration for TeX engines 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

update-language(-dat,-def,-lua) [OPTIONS ...]

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay so picture this: update-language generates hyphenation configuration files — specifically language.dat, .def, and .dat.lua. Iconic trio, no cap. 🦋

Here's the tea tho: when you call it as plain update-language, it makes all three of those config files for you at once. Main character behavior fr fr. 🌈

But if you call it any other way? Then it only generates the one you selected. Pick a lane, bestie. ✨

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💖 OPTIONS 💖

• -c, --conf-file=FILE — a file that gives you additional hyphen specifications. extra toppings, we love that 🍓
• -o, --output-file=FILE — the file you want the output written to 📝
• -d, --output-dir=DIR — the directory where the files get written 📁
• --checks — performs sanity checks on the generated config file. vibe check, but for your config 🧚
• -q, --quiet — don't write anything to standard output during normal operation. shhh, she's shy 🙈
• -h, -?, --help — shows you this help message and dips out 👋
• --version — outputs the version info and exits ⭐

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🫶 FILES 🫶

The default output directory is

/var/lib/texmf/tex/generic/config

The default output files are 👇

• for update-language-dat
  • language.dat
• for update-language-def
  • language.def
• for update-language-lua
  • language.dat.lua

Heads up bestie: if you pass -o/--output-file, it overrides all the defaults. every single one. periodt. 💀

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Debian ✦ December 2025 ✦ UPDATE-LANGUAGE(8)

that's the whole page, bestie — go forth and hyphenate responsibly 👑💜