Quoting ConTeXt garden,
There is a font switch
\em
to emphasize text. This is somewhat special: it does automatic italic correction and changes the alternative depending on the current alternative.
But that is false in the current MKIV version in TL15. In fact, it seems impossible to obtain italic correction at all; \/
has no effect. Compare the ConTeXt code below to the corresponding LaTeX code. How can I get italic correction, preferably automatic?
\starttext
{\em Beef} beer.\par
{\em Beef\/} beer.\par
{\it Beef} beer.\par
{\it Beef\/} beer.
\stoptext
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
{\em Beef} beer.\par
{\em Beef\/} beer.\par
{\it Beef} beer.\par
{\it Beef\/} beer.
\end{document}
\definefontfeature[default][default][itlc=yes]
to your document.\setupitaliccorrection
command to enable automatic italic correction. The function is described in chapter 8.2 of Hans new fonts manual (pragma-ade.com/general/manuals/fonts-mkiv.pdf).