On Tue, 30 Jan 2001, David Starner wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 30, 2001 at 11:02:29AM -0800, Elaine Keown wrote:
> > What's the ConScript registry?
>
> The ConScript registry (http://www.egt.ie/standards/csur/index.html) is a
> place where constructed/artifical scripts can be registered in a way
> that they can be publicially transfered (among those who recognize the
> encoding, of course.)
>
> > Does it have a formal relationship with Unicode? Sounds like something designed
>to be used with the Private Use Area?
> It doesn't have a formal relationship with Unicode, although it is being
> done by John Cowan and Michael Everson. It is allocations of characters in
> the Private Use area.
>
> It also is a 'proof' that there won't be a huge surge of constructed
> characters in Unicode if you let Klingon or Tengwar in. There is roughly
> 2000 characters encoded in the BMP Private-Use area, with another 6,000
> in Plane 16. Even accepting them all, that would fit easily in the space
> that hasn't even been tenatively allocated in Plane 1's roadmap. Cowan and Everson
> have not been very picky about which scripts they included in the ConScript
> registry. Of those in the registry, I would guess only 8 (Tengwar, Cirth,
> Engsvanyali, Shavian, Solresol, Visible Speech, Aiha, and Klingon) have any
> claim to be added to Unicode. 78 columns, less than 624 characters to be
> added.
I don't think that CSUR is conclusive proof that there wouldn't be a
deluge of demands for encoding fictional or constructed scripts if the
likes of Tengwar or Klingon were encoded. CSUR is just a pair of websites
without nowhere the high profile nor authority of Unicode. If say, a
fictional script were included and published by Unicode and ISO, then
people all over would suddenly be aware of the fact that a fictional
script got included, and perhaps they might conclude that they should
submit their own pet scripts as well. Many people with very real scripts
that they use in their daily lives were not aware of Unicode or that it
would benefit them to have them encoded; I suspect the same is true for
creators of fictional and constructed scripts. For example, it is easy to
find a variety of fonts for fantasy runes or other alphabets that people
have created, some based off a description in published fiction, but they
have not gotten in touch with CSUR. Or take the case of the Hotsuma
Tsutae syllabary, created in modern times to provide an fictional
pre-Chinese writing system (http://www.jtc.co.jp/hotsuma/index-e.htm) for
what is supposedly Old Japanese, which has books and articles published
about it, and fonts in existence, but it has no contact with CSUR.
Thomas Chan
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
