--- i18n <i18n@...> wrote: > suzmccarth wrote:

>
> > --- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels"
> <grammatim@...>
> > wrote:
> > > suzmccarth wrote:
> > >
> > > > I think ... that Tamil should be thought of as
> > > > a syllabary for some
>
> I have been following this thread and learning. I
> don't know specifically about Tamil, but I wonder
> this:
>
> If Suz wants to teach less literate people to type
> Tamil in a specific way, then rather then deabte
> terminology, why shouldn't she implement (or enable
> to be implemented) and IME that works how she
> envisons it?
>
> Certainly it can be done in Windows by almost any
> developer armed with a set of specifications, and it
> can be done for other other OS's perhaps even easier
> bcause whole chinks of code can be lifted from other
> projects.

Not so simple. The programmer also needs knowledge of
the language or 100% specifications backed up with
linguistic data and of course totally unambiguous
terminology throughout.

I can envisage two types of IMEs for Tamil based on
what I've been reading here.

1) Thai-style which takes maps a character to a key,
and just rearranges character sequences when the user
types vowels in the wrong order, and prevents invalid
sequences. But does not offer a conversion list.

2) CJK-style with an input window and a conversion
list. Characters do not need to map 1:1 with keys.
This is like the IME which suzmccarth has found.

Number 1 exists for Thai but doesn't ship with Windows
because most people don't seem to need it. The
programmer needs to know what rearranging needs to
happen in *all* cases, and what combinations are and
are not legal combinations.

For number 2 the programmer needs very good syllable
and/or word frequency lists - fully proofed and in
Unicode to be able to offer the conversion list in a
likely order.

Number 2 can work two ways.

1a. Transliteration
2b. Type visual, convert to Unicode ordering

The programmer would need more data which would depend
on which of these approaches is to be taken.

> I'd take a crack at it if I am not to work for free,
> but beyond that it is negotiable. Could be a cool
> project!

It would be a cool project. Open source projects exist
for both approaches.

> Best,
>
> Barry
>
> PS - But since I will be traveling starting tomorrow
> though next week
> and probably won't be reading this list until I
> return, please contact
> me offlist at (i18nbarry <at> yahoo dot com) for the
> best chance to
> reach me before my return.
>
>

=====
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