soulignes

Soulignes is a term encountered in some French-language discussions of typography and digital writing. It refers to the practice of marking text with lines drawn beneath it, typically for emphasis or annotation. The term combines the French verb souligner (to underline) with the plural suffix -es, and is used by a minority of writers and design practitioners rather than as a formal typographic category.

Usage and scope: The term is informal and not part of standard typography lexicons. It can denote either the underlines themselves or the broader practice of using underlines to highlight text. In some contexts, soulignes describe a family of underline styles, which may vary by line weight, continuity (solid, dashed, or dotted), or curvature.

Role in design: In digital content, soulignes can provide emphasis when bold or italics are inappropriate or unavailable. However, underlining is commonly associated with hyperlinks, so designers often pair soulignes with other cues such as color or aria-labels to avoid confusion. The concept is more common in discussions about accessible text marking and annotation than in formal style guides.

See also: Underline, Emphasis, Annotation, Accessibility.