Arabic Lamalef missing Unicode Ligatures with Tashkeel and/or Shadda on Lam

From: Waleed Oransa (WORANSA@eg.ibm.com)
Date: Wed May 28 2008 - 02:52:41 CDT

  • Next message: Bob_Hallissy@sil.org: "Re: Arabic Lamalef missing Unicode Ligatures with Tashkeel and/or Shadda on Lam"

    Hello all,

    I would like to discuss one of the current problems Arabic people are
    facing regarding proper Arabic presentation using Unicode. Currently
    Unicode Arabic presentation Forms-A/B does not contain the proper ligature
    for LamAlef with Tashkeel and/or Shadda on Lam. While this is allowed in
    Arabic and exits in Qura'an, this lack of support cause a wrong
    presentation for Lamalef with Tashkeel that use a normal shaping for Lam
    and Alef instead of using the ligature Lamalef with Tashkeel/Shadda on
    Lam. I think we need to add the presentation forms for Lamalef with
    Tashkeel on Lam to Unicode charts. This will need addressing different
    Lamalef plus different Tashkeel (at Fatha, Damma, Kasra, Sukun) and Shadda
    as well. This will need up to 64 new Lamalef ligatures.

    Here is the problem and the current wrong display for some words (some of
    them taken from Qura'n):

    Lamalef and Tashkeel/Shadda Problem:

    Currently no way to put Tashkeel over Lam in Lamalef. This causing the
    following:
    - Put a Tashkeel over Lam in Lamalef causing incorrect shaping for the
    Lamalef.
    Ex. لا---> لَا .. it should be لأ--> ل + َ + ا
    - This Tashkeel is used frequently in Holy Quran on lam in Lamalef like in

    Holy Qur'an, Aya 119 Alnessa: وَلآمُرَنَّهُمْ ---> Fatha on Lam
    Holy Qur'an, Aya 3 Alma'eda الآية }لِّإِثْمٍ } (3) سورة المائدة- This word
    can not be written correctly with this limitation.

    - a Tashkeel over Lam in Lamalef causing incorrect shaping for the
    Lamalef.

    - This issue prevent writing many Arabic words that need to put Tashkeel
    over Lam like:
     كلا --> كلّا (Shadda on Lam is very important)
     إلا--> إلّا (Shadda on Lam is very important)
     ألا--> ألّا (Shadda on Lam is very important)
     لا--> لَا (Fatha on Lam causing a problem while it is allowed in Arabic!
    )
    لآيات--> لَآيات (Fatha on Lam causing a problem while it is allowed in
    Arabic! )




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