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>> This includes 'Subscript Alef' and 'Turned Damma' (Ulta Pesh), used in
>> Iran and Pakistan;
MMA> I think these are also used in Arab countries, because even my Arabic teacher
MMA> who's from Syria referred to this "ulta pesh" as a "Koranic sign".
Hm, as far as I understand it, it is mainly used as a calligraphic
sign in Arab-speaking countries and carries no phonetic or
recitational information of its own. I've checked through my own
copies of the Qur'an briefly, but as far as I can see, it's used only
in calligraphic script as an ornamental sign. Since Qur'anic verses
tend to be rather ornately decorated, the association with the Qur'an
appears quite straightforward. On the other hand, all of my copies are
printed (says something already) either in Egypt or Sudan, so they
need not be representative.
MMA> Arabic calligraphic ornaments (I'm not so sure about this one)
I don't think these justify including them as _characters_? They are
used quite extensively, but they carry no information of their own
other than serving a graphic purpose in the context of ornately
designed script.
Philipp mailto:uzsv2k@uni-bonn.de
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