Richard Wordingham wrote:

>
> --- 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?"

No. The first paragraph is a discussion of a font and of keyboarding.

The second paragraph is a discussion of keyboard necessities.

The third paragraph is a discussion of key stickers (keytops?) and
keyboard manufacture. Everyone who was so scandalized by Nicholas's
description of the innards of a Selectric should be equally offended by
these topics.
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@...