From: Kenneth Whistler (kenw@sybase.com)
Date: Tue Apr 17 2007 - 14:10:23 CST
> On 3/29/07, David Starner <prosfilaes@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I've put up a Q&D webpage:
> > <http://prosfilaes.googlepages.com/combiningtackabove>.
>
> I've found a couple more usages of this, from a different company (and
> all different authors), who attribute it to the 1901 edition of
> Webster's International Dictionary, and I've updated the above page
> accordingly. I'll propose a new character formally, but it will have
> to wait until college is out.
Nice research, and I have no doubt about the validity of this
as an (obsolete) combining mark used for awhile in American
lexicography.
But I still object to the notion that this be considered a
COMBINING UP TACK ABOVE -- for a number of reasons. The
graphic form is different. It is historically derived from
a modification of the macron. And another reason that might
not be so apparent at first: encoding it as an up tack, but
using glyphs more appropriate for capturing the macron-like
usage in these old pronunciation guides, might interfere
in the future with the possible need for encoding of
*actual* up (and/or down) tack combining marks analogous
to the up tack below and down tack below combining marks
that are already encoded: 031D, 031E.
I don't really care if it is called COMBINING MACRON WITH
VERTICAL TICK or COMBINING MACRON WITH DOOHICKEY or
COMBINING MACRON WITH SOME WHAZZIT STUCK ON IT -- just not
that it be inappropriately shape-unified with a true up tack.
--Ken
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