ISO 15924 French name "Gotique": a typo...???

From: Philippe Verdy (verdy_p@wanadoo.fr)
Date: Fri May 21 2004 - 16:24:11 CDT

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    To find proof that "gotique" is incorrect in French, I looked for some official
    French resources, notably the list of language names published and used by the
    BPI:
    http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/dglf/bpi/list-langues.html
    clicking in the "allemand" language name gives this:
    http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/dglf/bpi/allemand.html
    [quote]
    Depuis 1941, l'allemand a abandonné l'écriture gothique.
    [/quote]
    However I wonder if this is related to the "Sütterlin" script.

    There are many confusions in French with the meaning of the term "gothique",
    which also designates a modern medieval style in arts (notably in architecture
    for the famous style of the highest cathedrals), and also a traditional Old
    French typographic style (more or less the "Fraktur" variant of Latin).

    "Gothique" in French designates lots of things related to Germany or countries
    East of France, where Germanic culture was refering to peoples commonly named
    "Goths", "Wisigoths", ... This may include the Gotic script as defined in
    Unicode as well.

    So may be a beter name would be "ancien gothique". I don't propose to change
    completely the name used in Unicode (because its official publication is in
    English) but to use the orthograph "gothique" within a less ambiguous expression
    for the French name. May be there are more precise term to designate this script
    and "(gothique)" could be used in the listed French name between parentheses
    after the more precise term.



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