Re: Encoding Bengali Vowel forms (again)

From: Peter Constable (peter_constable@sil.org)
Date: Fri Apr 28 2000 - 20:32:29 EDT


       Apurva:

>[apurva:] Pardon my being blunt here. But, Indic
>scripts [like Malayalam] have had to see a change
>in orthography and typographical quality [some,
>sadly for the worse] due to some interim solutions
>[constraints in some earlier typesetting systems].
>Since these solutions unfortunately have not been
>looked at as interim, but as permanent [they have
>existed for decades]. As a result, a whole
>generation of young people in India who have not
>had the opportunity to see the original orthography
>of the script, think that the current incorrectly
>implemented solutions 'are' the way it has to be!

>Hence it would be prudent of us to try our best to
>look at the long term effects too, that technology
>[here an encoding standard] tends to usher in with
>itself.

       I agree entirely. Hence my suggestion that the stakeholders
       should discuss the issue and come to a concensus as to what is
       an agreed-upon way to handle what is deemed to be needed. I
       assumed in saying this that this would be done with a view to
       what people wish could be done, not what they've been forced to
       put up with given limited technologies. It seemed offhand to me
       that, as Marco had suggested, what's already there would be
       adequate. But I am admittedly in no way an expert on Bengali
       (rather, barely a novice). By all means, consider whatever
       issues there are in processing text where these things are
       involved. Just be careful not to encode unnecessary linguistic
       information (not saying that you were, but one comment that you
       made about semantic distinctions suggested the possibility, and
       it's something that people often want to do.)

       I may reply on some other things you said, but will leave this
       message at this point.

       Peter



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