Hello, all UniCode proponents!
On the current MS-Windows CP 1251 (that contains Latin 1, the main subset of
WGL4 & of UniCode), there are 2 characters which—unfortunately—are shown in
a way that entails confusion; those are the cent sign (¢) & the florin sign
(ƒ). They are currently accessed in Windows with <ALT>[0162] & <ALT>[0131],
respectively. The proper UniCode positions for these symbols are 162 & 402;
however, the glyph associated with the semantic cent sign is in the correct
position, but the glyph that shows up is a <c> resting on the baseline with a
right slash superimposed on it. The cents sign is supposed to be a centered
(raised) <c> (which—on some fonts—is slightly reduced in size) with a
vertical pipe superimposed thereon (it could be either solid or broken,
depending on the font). Slashed <c> (H-C & L-C) is an Americanist phonetic
symbol for the affricate /ts/, according to Pullum & Ladusaw (Phonetic Symbol
Guide, U-Chicago Press). Therefore, slashed <c> should move to positions 542
& 543, to make room for the proper cents sign at 162 (that's with the
vertically straight cross stroke). On the Dutch florin sign, it's basically
a dashed slanted integral symbol; unfortunately, it's currently at position
402, the position for the IAI (International African Institute) L-C letter
for the bilabial /f/ phoneme, which is a left-tailed <f>. So, the florin
should move to an open spot on the Currency Signs subset, perhaps, at
position 8369 (after the German penny sign). The properly-shaped left-tailed
<f> should be restored to position 402, like the semantic description calls
for. Then, the WGL4/UniCode position assignment for the florin should be for
8369 (while retaining its CP access place [on most CPs] at <ALT>0131). It's
something for UniCode to think about. Thank You!
ISRI INTERNATIONAL SYMBOLISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Robert Lloyd Wheelock 63 Wilson ST Augusta, ME 04330-9473 USA
1(207)623-5176 RWhizz12@aol.com
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