diff --git a/docs/ref/settings.txt b/docs/ref/settings.txt
--- a/docs/ref/settings.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/settings.txt
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@
 DATABASES
 ---------
 
-.. versionadded: 1.2
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
 
 Default: ``{}`` (Empty dictionary)
 
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@
 DATABASE_ROUTERS
 ----------------
 
-.. versionadded: 1.2
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
 
 Default: ``[]`` (Empty list)
 
@@ -410,9 +410,13 @@
 
 Default: ``'N j, Y'`` (e.g. ``Feb. 4, 2003``)
 
-The default formatting to use for date fields in any part of the system.
-Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then locale format will
-be applied. See :ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+The default formatting to use for displaying date fields in any part of the
+system.  Note that if setting:`USE_L10N` is set to ``True``, then the
+locale-dictated format has higher precedence and will be applied instead. See
+:ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+
+.. versionchanged:: 1.2
+    This setting can now be overriden by setting ``USE_L10N`` to ``True``.
 
 See also ``DATETIME_FORMAT``, ``TIME_FORMAT`` and ``SHORT_DATE_FORMAT``.
 
@@ -421,6 +425,8 @@
 DATE_INPUT_FORMATS
 ------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default::
 
     ('%Y-%m-%d', '%m/%d/%Y', '%m/%d/%y', '%b %d %Y',
@@ -444,9 +450,13 @@
 
 Default: ``'N j, Y, P'`` (e.g. ``Feb. 4, 2003, 4 p.m.``)
 
-The default formatting to use for datetime fields in any part of the system.
-Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then locale format will
-be applied. See :ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+The default formatting to use for displaying datetime fields in any part of the
+system.  Note that if setting:`USE_L10N` is set to ``True``, then the
+locale-dictated format has higher precedence and will be applied instead. See
+:ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+
+.. versionchanged:: 1.2
+    This setting can now be overriden by setting ``USE_L10N`` to ``True``.
 
 See also ``DATE_FORMAT``, ``TIME_FORMAT`` and ``SHORT_DATETIME_FORMAT``.
 
@@ -455,6 +465,8 @@
 DATETIME_INPUT_FORMATS
 ----------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default::
 
     ('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S', '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M', '%Y-%m-%d',
@@ -514,6 +526,8 @@
 DECIMAL_SEPARATOR
 -----------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``'.'`` (Dot)
 
 Default decimal separator used when formatting decimal numbers.
@@ -771,6 +785,8 @@
 FIRST_DAY_OF_WEEK
 -----------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``0`` (Sunday)
 
 Number representing the first day of the week. This is especially useful
@@ -807,6 +823,8 @@
 FORMAT_MODULE_PATH
 ------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``None``
 
 A full Python path to a Python package that contains format definitions for
@@ -1106,6 +1124,8 @@
 NUMBER_GROUPING
 ----------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``0``
 
 Number of digits grouped together on the integer part of a number. Common use
@@ -1328,11 +1348,14 @@
 SHORT_DATE_FORMAT
 -----------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``m/d/Y`` (e.g. ``12/31/2003``)
 
-An available formatting that can be used for date fields on templates.
-Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then locale format will
-be applied. See :ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+An available formatting that can be used for displaying date fields on
+templates.  Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then the corresponding
+locale-dictated format has higher precedence and will be applied. See
+:ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
 
 See also ``DATE_FORMAT`` and ``SHORT_DATETIME_FORMAT``.
 
@@ -1341,11 +1364,14 @@
 SHORT_DATETIME_FORMAT
 ---------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``m/d/Y P`` (e.g. ``12/31/2003 4 p.m.``)
 
-An available formatting that can be used for datetime fields on templates.
-Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then locale format will
-be applied. See :ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+An available formatting that can be used for displaying datetime fields on
+templates.  Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then the corresponding
+locale-dictated format has higher precedence and will be applied. See
+:ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
 
 See also ``DATE_FORMAT`` and ``SHORT_DATETIME_FORMAT``.
 
@@ -1461,6 +1487,8 @@
 THOUSAND_SEPARATOR
 ------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default ``,`` (Comma)
 
 Default thousand separator used when formatting numbers. This setting is
@@ -1475,9 +1503,13 @@
 
 Default: ``'P'`` (e.g. ``4 p.m.``)
 
-The default formatting to use for time fields in any part of the system.
-Note that if ``USE_L10N`` is set to ``True``, then locale format will
-be applied. See :ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+The default formatting to use for displaying time fields in any part of the
+system.  Note that if setting:`USE_L10N` is set to ``True``, then the
+locale-dictated format has higher precedence and will be applied instead. See
+:ttag:`allowed date format strings <now>`.
+
+.. versionchanged:: 1.2
+    This setting can now be overriden by setting ``USE_L10N`` to ``True``.
 
 See also ``DATE_FORMAT`` and ``DATETIME_FORMAT``.
 
@@ -1486,6 +1518,8 @@
 TIME_INPUT_FORMATS
 ------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default: ``('%H:%M:%S', '%H:%M')``
 
 A tuple of formats that will be accepted when inputting data on a time
@@ -1556,6 +1590,8 @@
 USE_L10N
 --------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default ``False``
 
 A boolean that specifies if data will be localized by default or not. If this
@@ -1583,6 +1619,8 @@
 USE_THOUSAND_SEPARATOR
 ----------------------
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Default ``False``
 
 A boolean that specifies wheter to display numbers using a thousand separator.
diff --git a/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt b/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt
--- a/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt
@@ -1010,7 +1010,7 @@
 
 If ``value`` is ``4``, then the output will be ``6``.
 
-.. versionchanged:: 1.2 
+.. versionchanged:: 1.2
    The following behavior didn't exist in previous Django versions.
 
 This filter will first try to coerce both values to integers. If this fails,
@@ -1026,7 +1026,7 @@
 output will be ``[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]``.
 
 .. warning::
-    
+
     Keep in mind that strings that can both be coerced to integers will be,
     and thus will be will be *summed*, not concatenated, as in the first
     example above.
@@ -1103,6 +1103,16 @@
 ``datetime.datetime.now()``), the output will be the string
 ``'Wed 09 Jan 2008'``.
 
+Another example:
+
+Assuming that :setting:`USE_L10N` is ``True`` and :setting:`LANGUAGE_CODE` is,
+for example, ``"es"``, then for::
+
+    {{ value|date:"SHORT_DATE_FORMAT" }}
+
+the output will be the string ``"09/01/2008"`` (The ``"SHORT_DATE_FORMAT"``
+format specifier for the ``es`` locale as shipped with Django is ``"d/m/Y"``).
+
 When used without a format string::
 
     {{ value|date }}
@@ -1110,6 +1120,9 @@
 ...the formatting string defined in the :setting:`DATE_FORMAT` setting will be
 used, without applying any localization.
 
+.. versionchanged:: 1.2
+    Predefined formats can now be influenced by the current locale.
+
 .. templatefilter:: default
 
 default
@@ -1730,12 +1743,25 @@
 If ``value`` is equivalent to ``datetime.datetime.now()``, the output will be
 the string ``"01:23"``.
 
+Another example:
+
+Assuming that :setting:`USE_L10N` is ``True`` and :setting:`LANGUAGE_CODE` is,
+for example, ``"de"``, then for::
+
+    {{ value|time:"TIME_FORMAT" }}
+
+the output will be the string ``"01:23:00"`` (The ``"TIME_FORMAT"`` format
+specifier for the ``de`` locale as shipped with Django is ``"H:i:s"``).
+
 When used without a format string::
 
     {{ value|time }}
 
 ...the formatting string defined in the :setting:`TIME_FORMAT` setting will be
-used, without aplying any localization.
+used, without applying any localization.
+
+.. versionchanged:: 1.2
+    Predefined formats can now be influenced by the current locale.
 
 .. templatefilter:: timesince
 
diff --git a/docs/topics/i18n/localization.txt b/docs/topics/i18n/localization.txt
--- a/docs/topics/i18n/localization.txt
+++ b/docs/topics/i18n/localization.txt
@@ -247,6 +247,8 @@
 Format localization
 ===================
 
+.. versionadded:: 1.2
+
 Django's formatting system is disabled by default. To enable it, it's necessary
 to set :setting:`USE_L10N = True <USE_L10N>` in your settings file.
 
