At 22:05 +0000 2005-08-30, suzmccarth wrote:

>--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, Michael Everson
><everson@...> wrote:
>
> >Bugger the research.
>
>I always had the impresssion that you put great stock in
>academic qualifications?

Academic research has its place. When a theory suggests something
which flies in the face of reality, however, well, bugger it.

I never said anything about academic qualifications. I have been
dismissed by some because I do practical technical work that people
actually use, instead of having worked to get some additional letters
after my name.

> >The facts are that some people (lots of them) who use a
>> syllabic script are able to type using alphabetic input.
>
>There are *lots* of Chinese who use Pinyin input, lots and lots.
>That doesn't mean that there are not lots and lots who cannot.

There is no one who cannot who cannot learn, modulo dyslexia and
other disorders.

>You must be aware that we are still gathering information on
>how many symbols make up the inventory for Vai literates.

The brief is 340 characters.

>Certainly for Tamil we found a prototype application that offers
>alternative design principles. Vai is a different type of writing
>system again so a different solution will need to be found.

QWERTY deadkeys solves the problem smashingly.

> > What does this mean with regard to teaching people to type t +
> > a for ta and t + i for ti?
>
>I would expect the problem to come when trying to differentiate
>between b_e and mb_e. Differentiating the prenasalized
>implosives from the other implosives will be one of the many
>difficulties.

If you can differentiate them with a pencil, you can learn to do so
on a keyboard.

> >It is impossible to imagine that a Vai using a
>> computer will not know the Latin script.
>
>Given the distribution of electricity and the distribution of Vai
>literates, yes.

Given the fact that the Latin script is used for the official
language of Liberia.

> >It is certainly impossible to imagine that a Vai will get very far
>using a computer without such knowledge.
>
>Children can do some amazing things without being able to
>*read* the menus. I think you would be surprised.

Human children learn. And you haven't refuted my statement. The Vai
will be lucky indeed if they get a browser in Vai.

> > Assuming access to the basic alphabet (which EVERYONE in Liberia has,
>> insofar as the road signs are written in Latin script),
>
>You offer the 'roadsign literacy hypothesis' as a counter argument
>to Scribner and Cole's research?

The roadsigns are a fact.

>it is not outrageous to suggest that Vai people, who are as smart as
>anyone else, can be tought to type t + a for ta and t + i for ti.
>
>After reading Weiben's post I am surprised that you think we are
>talking about intelligence.
>
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qalam/message/5565

It seems to me that you have gone out of your way to show how people
whose writing systems are syllabic have "problems" with alphabetic
keyboard input. That isn't true for Ethiopic. I don't find Wang's
post to be relevant.
--
Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com