Language keeps resetting to keyboard layout

[Irrelevant]

I urgently need help solving this problem. I have to write in UK English because the reach of German content is insignificant, but I am also forced to use the German keyboard layout because I will most certainly not retrain myself to use the English layout. My keyboard layout must match the physical keys at all times. So I need any word processing software to always be set to UK English for all documents under all circumstances, but Writer keeps switching back to German because of the keyboard settings.

I have tried the common "advice" of selecting UKE "for all documents", and even turning spell check/languages off altogether, but after a space or new paragraph, the document laguage automatically resets itself to German. This happens with Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice and all other software. I need to set Writer to absolutely always disregard the keyboard settings and type in the default language (UKE) with no subsequent readjustments. I cannot "just type with German", because quotation marks will be different and I can't possibly manually change them later UKE is set as default language but switches to German immediately after typing the first word.

[Villeroy]

The keyboard layout is set by your Windows operating system. If you type Y between T and U, any application will get the Y. If it comes out as Z, the Windows keyboard layout is German and no application can do anything about it.
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menu:Tools>Options>LanguageSettings>Languages
1) Interface language for help contents, menues and certain named items such as predefined style names.
2) Locale setting for all numeric expressions 1,234.99 vs 1.234,99 or 30/9/1999 vs 9/30/1999 or 30.9.1999. This affects the default settings of numeric table cell content, numeric form controls and some other things. For exceptions to this general rule this setting can be overwritten in all the number format dialogs throughout the whole office suite.
The decimal key setting refers to the decimal key on your keypad (if any).
3) Language settings for Western language affects the default setting for any text written in human language. This affects text that is written into your document, how it is spellchecked, typographic quotes, hyphenation, auto-correct options for different languages. For exceptions to this general rule this setting can be overwritten in all the font setting dialogs throughout the whole office suite. Any text snippet formatted as German text within an English document will be treated as German text with German spellchecking (if installed) and with „German“ typographic quotes. To be more precise, this setting applies only to those documents that are created newly from scratch. Your templates (surely you are using templates) store their own language settings so you can have English and German templates for the same purpose in different languages.
In order to change the base language of a distinct template or an existing document, open the document for editing, call the language settings, check option "current document only". Then change the language and save the template or document.
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These 3 setting allow you to create English documents with German figures ( 1,234.99€ 20.9.2020) and additional French content regardless if your interface language is French, Chinese or anything else. You can store different setups for all thinkable use cases in userdefined templates for text, spreadsheets, drawings and presentations.
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Edit: P.S.: It makes a difference if some user interface or locale setting is "German (Default)" or simply "German". The former may change with the operating system language or with the OS locale respectively. The latter one is fixed. However, the human langauge is always a fixed one which makes sence because the word "language" as document content is always an English word no matter, whereas a table cell value 123,99 in locale "German (Default)" will change to 12.99 with locale "English (Default). The actual numeric value remains the same. Any currency symbol in addition to the number format will be fixed of course. German 12,99 € becomes 12.99 € with a decimal point when opened with an English default locale.

[Bill]

I urgently need help solving this problem. I have to write in UK English because the reach of German content is insignificant, but I am also forced to use the German keyboard layout because I will most certainly not retrain myself to use the English layout. My keyboard layout must match the physical keys at all times. So I need any word processing software to always be set to UK English for all documents under all circumstances, but Writer keeps switching back to German because of the keyboard settings.

There are two settings in Windows, the input language setting and the keyboard layout setting. Each input language can have more than one keyboard layout and a keyboard layout can be set up to be used with different input languages. You may have the German keyboard layout set up under the German input language, but not under the English (UK) input language. If you don't have English (UK) set up as an input language, then you need to do so, then add the German keyboard layout under English (UK).

How to Add or Remove a Keyboard Input Language in Windows 7

[Solved] Language switches by itself

[ReinerEschbach]

I have a similar problem: I am using 3 keyboard layouts ( special characters ) and write my documents in two languages.
I have two physical keyboards attached (different layouts).
So far I did not encounter any problems, but now the following happens:

I start a document
set the language to "A"
I start typing
suddenly the spell-checker switches to language "B" ( the keyboard layout )
I select the entire document and specify: set Language for entire doc to "A"
everything is fine.
I type . . . hit spacebar and Writer changes to language "B"

This is a new problem, since my language use is 60% 35% 5% and every day I use at least two layouts

Thanks in advance

[Villeroy]

The spell checker checks every single snippet of text according to its own langauge attribute. If the text snippet is marked as language A and dictionary A is installed, the snippet is checked as A. If the next sippet is marked as langauge B and dictionary B is installed, the next snippet will be checked as B. If a snippet is marked as C while there is no C dictionary installed this snippet will not be spellchecked but the next editor of the same document may be able to spellcheck this part with his installed C dictionary.
The language attribute is just the same kind of attribute as a font, size, underlining, color etc. OpenOffice is software of the 1990ies. There is no artificial intelligence making any guesses about the language of a text snippet.
And if any sequence of characters came from an English or Chinese keyboard does not affect the spell checker anyway.

[Bill]

I start a document
set the language to "A"
I start typing
suddenly the spell-checker switches to language "B" ( the keyboard layout )

Read my previous post. Unless something has changed recently, in Windows the language should follow the input language setting in Windows, not the keyboard layout setting. You probably have the input language and the keyboard layout both set to "B". You need to set the input language to "A" and the keyboard layout to "B". The input language setting in Windows overrides the language setting in Writer.

[RoryOF]

Also, your follow on Paragraph style needs to be set to the same language as your initial paragraph style; each language needs its own Paragraph and character styles, with the language set appropriately.

[ReinerEschbach]

Not quite.
The Document Default is English
the laptop keyboard is English
the document is English ( lecture notes )
the attached external keyboard is German, the virtual Norwegian

I write English Lecture notes but want the "yz" as well as special characters to know ( alt+shift+q = @ )
My Windows 10 Toolbar say DEU (keyboard ), my Writer says "Default" at the bottom ( set to English in Language Settings/Language )
I type a few characters "house" and Writer switches to German(Germany)
I select all text and set it to English (USA) [ also tried Default]. Red underline disappears. I type the next word, Writer switches to German and for any new word language is again changed.

Hope this was more clear.

[Villeroy]

Open the document in question, call the language settings and set the default language again but this time with "current document only" checked. Without that option, it is set for brand new documents that are not derived from a template. With that option you set the language for the current template or document.
Nevertheless, the language should not change while typing. It may change when you move the cursor to another location but not while typing.

[Bill]

My Windows 10 Toolbar say DEU (keyboard )...

No, "DEU" is not a keyboard setting. It is a language setting. Each option on the Windows 10 Language bar has two settings. The top line is the language setting. The bottom line is the keyboard layout setting. If the top line shows "DEU German (Germany)", then the language is set to German (Germany). If the second line shows "German keyboard", then the keyboard is set to German keyboard layout. If you want to type in US English using a German keyboard layout, you need to set up an option that shows "ENG English (United States)" on the top line and "German keyboard" on the bottom line.

See the screen shot here:
Windows 10: Disable the Language Bar in the Taskbar

[Bill]

... my Writer says "Default" at the bottom ( set to English in Language Settings/Language )

"Default" in the Status bar at the bottom is the name of the page style which has no language setting. The default language setting for the document is in the "Default" paragraph style. The name of the current paragraph style is in the Formatting Toolbar which is usually near the top just above the ruler.

[greyinblue]

I select the entire document and specify: set Language for entire doc to "A"
everything is fine.
I type . . . hit spacebar and Writer changes to language "B"

The paragraph style applied to your paragraph has the language attribute B. When you select all text and set a language A using the language bar at the foot of the screen you're overwriting this for the characters you selected. This is direct formatting and should generally be avoided. When you now start typing new text in the paragraph the style setting kicks in again and it reverts to language B.

Instead you should just modify the paragraph style to language A.

[RoryOF]

My thinking is that if one is using several languages regularly, one should have equivalent Paragraph and Character Styles for each language, with easily identifiable names (e.g. TextBody_En, TextBody_Fr, TextBody_Ge) and when one switches to a different language, one selects the appropriate style, Works for me switching between English and French.

One way or other the User has to tell OpenOffice which language is in use in a particular Paragraph or Character Style. One can do this either as I have suggested, or by text selection and changing the language by /Tools /Language. The choice of method is up to the User.

[ReinerEschbach]

Making progress,
thanks to all the help.

Here some items about the suggestions:
trying to differentiate my Language from Input did not work . .
my Windows 10 does not have the notification Icon described
(all set to "on": Audio, Autoplay, Battery Saver, Display.. , Security .., Wireless ) search on any of the names did not give me result in Win10 System.

Though: it started to lead me down a good path.

Paragraph Formatting: I do not see anything about Language under Format>Paragraph ( did I misunderstand? : I am using LibreOffice )

But - as I said above - this helped me to look for the right stuff.

Here is what worked for me (or maybe: the mistake I should have avoided from the beginning )
Tools>Options>Language Settings>Languages
there ( beside the "For current doc" ) is the "Ignore system input language" checkbox ( was unchecked )

Checking seems to have solved my problem.

A remark: this problem "new" as I have been using a German keyboard for most of my typing which is >90% English(USA)
It might have occurred since my last Win10 update ( remember: we are between Semesters )

Thanks for all the Volunteer help

Reiner

[RoryOF]

In a Paragraph or Character Style the Language for that Style can be set using /Format /Styles and Formatting (First icon for Paragraph Styles, second icon for Character Styles) on the Font tab of the style - Learn how to use the long way to define fundamental formatting.

[Villeroy]

A style is a named bundle of attributes that can be applied by a double-click or shortcut. If you change some attribute of a style, the change takes place in every place where that style has been applied. Working with styles, or at least knowing them, is vital when using this office suite. Contrary to other office suites, certain features are based on this concept.
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Thank you for the clarifying feedback. I ignored the "Ignore input language" all the time simply because I took for granted that there is no reason to uncheck this.
Same issue with "Decimal separator: Same as locale setting [yes/no]". You can turn this off, but then you can not really use the keyboard's num pad anymore. You never want to type a comma when the locale expects a point as decimal separator and vice versa.

[RoryOF]

/Format /Paragraph and /Format /Character only alter the current instance of the Paragraph or Character Style. One either has to use the long way, as I set out above, or right click on a Paragraph and choose Edit Paragraph Style from the popup.

[Bill]

Here is what worked for me (or maybe: the mistake I should have avoided from the beginning )
Tools>Options>Language Settings>Languages
there ( beside the "For current doc" ) is the "Ignore system input language" checkbox ( was unchecked )

Checking seems to have solved my problem.

Please fix you signature. I would have told you this immediately if I had known that you were using LibreOffice. The option does not exist in OpenOffice.