Problem with spanish babel package

Question

I'm trying to use package amscd for a commutative diagram. Everything goes smoothly if I write:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\usepackage{amscd}
\begin{document}
$\begin{CD}
 A     @>b>>   C\\
 @VVV                         @VVV\\
 C  @>>>              R (V)
 \end{CD}$
\end{document}

However, if I replace english by spanish it doesn't work anymore. I get:

"Runaway argument?
b>> C\\ @VVV @VVV\\
 C @>>> R (V)
\end {CD}$
\end {document}
! File ended while scanning use of \ @>.
<inserted text> 
                \par 
<*> prueba1.tex

I suspect you have forgotten a `}', causing me
to read past where you wanted me to stop.
I'll try to recover; but if the error is serious,
you'd better type `E' or `X' now and fix your file.

! Emergency stop.
<*> prueba1.tex

*** (job aborted, no legal \end found)"

Any hints on how to solve it without having to use the english option?

Answer 1

The problem is that the Spanish module of babel activates the characters < and > in order to provide shorthands for "multilevel" quoting.

If you don't need those shorthands, you can use the technique proposed by Gonzalo Medina (i.e., the option es-noquoting or the more drastic es-noshorthands). Otherwise the code

\usepackage{etoolbox}
\preto\CD{\deactivatequoting}

after loading amscd will do the same job, deactivating the characters just for the CD environment.

One should realize that if T1-encoded fonts are used, the combinations << and >> already form ligatures for « and » (without the need of activating them). The package csquotes may be used instead of the quoting environment provided by the Spanish module for babel.

Answer 2

The spanish option for babel makes some characters active to build shorthands; these shorthands will conflict with the standard use of the characters in a non-spanish document. To prevent this problem load babel in the following way:

\usepackage[spanish,es-noshorthands]{babel}

This will disable all shorthands; to disable only those characters conflicting with quoting, you can use

\usepackage[spanish,es-noquoting]{babel}

Answer 3

The command \deactivatequoting would solve it as well, also you can activate it again afterwards.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[spanish]{babel}
\usepackage{amscd}
\begin{document}
\deactivatequoting
$\begin{CD}
 A     @>b>>   C\\\ 
 @VVV                         @VVV\\     C  @>>>              R (V)
 \end{CD}$
\activatequoting
\end{document}