--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Don Osborn" <dzo@...> wrote:

> Any thoughts on "degrees of written" or classifications
> of how well established a writing system is? It's one thing to have an
> orthography or a Bible sections (often the first thing printed) in a
> particular language - but if it's not taught in schools and literacy
> rates in it are low, one could argue that the writing system however
> valid or appropriate, is not (well) established.

There are some interesting qualitative differences besides literacy rates:

(1) Are most speakers illiterate in every language?

(2) Are speakers that are literate in some language chiefly illiterate
in the language in question?

(3) Is there traditional acceptance of the writing system as the right
way to write the language?

Even then, I'm not sure it tackles issues such as how well-established
a Romanisation is. I suppose technology-induced Romanisation should
become a thing of the past, though the Romanisation of names may
remain as a restricted writing system of a language. I'm thinking in
particular of the application to Thai, where prominent individuals can
choose how their names are Romanised. Thai English language
newspapers do ask!

Richard.