--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, John Cowan <cowan@...> wrote:

> Peter T. Daniels scripsit:
>
> > > I was suddenly enlightened. Peter Daniels doesn't know how

things

> > > are encoded in Unicode and what terms are being used.
> >
> > and he doesn't care ... he doesn't need to know how the computer-

jocks

> > get the scripts to come out right on the screen.
>
> If Unicode were designed only for rendering purposes, it would be

a great

> deal simpler than it is. Indeed, it would not be necessary at

all. The

> whole point of having a single universal encoding of letters and

their

> friends is to permit processing other than rendering to take place

in a

> systematic and unified way, as much as the rather miscellaneous

nature of

> the subject permits.

I know how important Unicode is and what it offers. My overall
appreciation for the difference it will make in peoples lives has
been growing. I understand that textreaders will need phonetic order
in storage - do I have this right? I am learning to markup the
language attribute for this very purpose. I truly am a major fan.

I just wish that someone could persuade Unicode that the Indic
scripts are called Aksharamala not some term that comes from the
Amharic psalter. Did some India government representative agree to
this term?

Think of how confused I have been, faithfully following links to the
Amharic coding. Checking back on Tamil, wondering what is going on.
An inherent vowel just means the users don't like abstract, non-
concrete phonemes as the major structural unit. So they want the
consonant to be pronounced as a syllable. This is no surprise. Okay,
explain the vowel overriding feature but call the system
Aksharamala. Then everyone knows there are syllables.

Suzanne

> > > Korean - encoded by phoneme and syllable
> >
> > (what does that _mean_??)
>
> It means that there are two encodings of Korean writing within

Unicode

> (regrettably): one which encodes Korean hangul individually, and

one which

> encodes Korean syllables (only the modern ones, but including ones

which

> are not actually required by the Korean language).
>
> --
> John Cowan www.ccil.org/~cowan www.reutershealth.com jcowan@...
> In might the Feanorians / that swore the unforgotten oath
> brought war into Arvernien / with burning and with broken troth.
> and Elwing from her fastness dim / then cast her in the waters

wide,

> but like a mew was swiftly borne, / uplifted o'er the roaring tide.
> --the Earendillinwe