Ar 13:23 -0800 2001-01-30, scríobh Thomas Chan:
>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.
Well, I think what David was saying is that there don't seem to be all that
many of them.
>CSUR is just a pair of websites
>without nowhere the high profile nor authority of Unicode.
I thought one of the Unicode web pages linked it. I could be wrong. And the
CSUR states explicitly that it is just for fun. Having said that, I do know
of some folks who have done implementations of one sort or another based on
its specifications.
>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.
Thomas, if a script like Tengwar, which has thousands of users who are
actually interested in writing texts in it, sorting, searching, and all
that, gets into the UCS it is because there is a credible requirement to
encode it. Plenty of "nonfictional" historical scripts have fewer users
than Tengwar. For some of them we have a handful of texts. Tengwar on the
other hand is studied by linguists, used by enthusiasts, and at any rate is
an integral part of the work of one of the 20th century's finest and most
influential writers.
>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.
Yes, of course.
>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.
Actually there aren't all that many.
>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.
In fact, I *have* seen this. As I recall Ken Whistler and I looked at it
when we were at the WG2 meeting in Fukuoka.
Michael Everson ** Everson Gunn Teoranta ** http://www.egt.ie
15 Port Chaeimhghein Íochtarach; Baile Átha Cliath 2; Éire/Ireland
Mob +353 86 807 9169 ** Fax +353 1 478 2597 ** Vox +353 1 478 2597
27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn; Baile an Bhóthair; Co. Átha Cliath; Éire
