Re: Unicode Tibetan (Was: syllable level encoding in unicode)

cowan@... wrote:

>
> suzmccarth scripsit:
>
> > Now I am really puzzled since Cree would have a similar syllable
> > structure <ma-si-na-hi-ka-n> simple CV <a-s-pi-ta-s-ko-pi-so-n> and
> > CV with final /s/ and final /n/ using a "final". The system is
> > composed of syllabics for open syllables and finals (plus a couple of
> > featural signs not always used)They certainly call their system
> > syllabic even though Naskapi has a different structure in the spoken
> > language.
>
> Cree can be seen as an abugida as well, although the vowel signs and
> the virama are encoded using size and orientation changes rather than
> diacritics (Indic scripts) or incorporated strokes (Ethiopic).
>
> It was convenient for Unicode to assimilate Ethiopic and Canadian
> Syllabics to the syllabaries and the Indic scripts to the alphabets (with
> complex script rendering), but there is nothing fundamental about this.
>
> Does anyone know the language -- I believe it is a North American one -- in
> which syllabograms that look like ligatured North American English handwriting
> are used? I saw it once but have no clue where.

The "Eskimo script" of Neck used English-looking "syllables" for some of
its syllabic signs (see Alfred Schmitt). There is an alleged mainland US
writing system that did something similar (I think it's mentioned in one
of the Smithsonian Handbook articles), but it doesn't seem ever to have
been used.
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@...