--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...> wrote:

> Can't it [Qalam] be dedicated to the
> discussion of writing systems, and not to computer implementations
> thereof?

Peter, do you count the following as a discussion of a writing system?
The paragaph *is* a serious suggestion.

"The SIL Vai font does not include the r-series. As this is clearly
formed from the l-series by a curly underline, and constitutes the
only consonants formed thus, it would not be unreasonable for Roman
script users to use the US 'r'-key as a dead key to convert the
l-series to the r-series."

I presume you would reject the second of the following two serious
points as a discussion of a writing system:

"Dead keys would probably be necessary for a West African keyboard
supporting the Latin script. Accents are (or ought to be) necessary
for the many tonal languages."

"The key stickers may be even more cramped than I thought. They would
probably need to be labelled for the Roman, Arabic and Vai scripts!
Incidentally, do the economics of production preclude keyboards
'engraved' for Vai?"

Richard.