Re: Languages using multiple scripts

From: Patrick Andries (patrick.andries@xcential.com)
Date: Mon Feb 14 2005 - 14:52:31 CST

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    Chris Harvey a écrit :

    I can think off-hand of a few languages requiring Latin and Greek  characters: Henqeminem (θ, χ), Nłeʔkepmxcin (θ), Heiltsuk (λ), Sliammon  (λ, θ, χ), Penobscot (α-Greek alpha)…

    Interesting, thank you for bringing this up. I admit I don't know why these 4 Greek letters are used across scripts (Greek and API which is Latin(1)) while epsilon ɛ, gamma ɣ in API are not . But then again, so many things to learn (and then remember !).

    Furthermore, anyone writing in IPA (even in English) must mix Greek and  Latin: both [bǝwθ].

    I'm not sure IPA is really of much interest for IDN (not used completely by a natural language, I 'm not sure many national registration authorities will allow IPA names, though it is certainly legal for non country-specific domain names (gTLD) if I understand the specs. Do you think the IPA will want to register as [asɔsjasjɔ̃ fɔnetik ɛ̃tɛʀnasjɔnal(ə)], I believe its original name or under which dialectal transcription of its English name ? How many IPA registrations for Unicode.org in IPA? ynikɔd.org for me.

    What is interesting is that some IPA symbols are used in Latin-based script (in African languages for example) but then scripts.txt (1) identifies these IPA letters as part of the Latin script, so no mixed script (2). I don't know if any African language uses these four Greek letters in its writing system.

    I think it can be said that mixed scripts IDN are suspicious (Cyrillic SLD "ГОСТ" + Latin TLD "ru" is okay though, especially if you can read Cyrillic), no need to block access though even when confronted with mixed script words in IDN,  I would say, just a warning.


    P. A.

    (1) http://www.unicode.org/Public/4.1.0/ucd/Scripts-4.1.0d8.txt, for instance :
    0250..02AF    ; Latin # L&  [96] 
1D00..1D25   ; Latin # L&  [38]
    (2) if we exclude the 4 Greek letters you mentioned, which are also mentioned at page 444 of TUS 4.0

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