Re: Dependent vowels

From: Michael Everson (everson@indigo.ie)
Date: Fri Oct 30 1998 - 14:59:24 EST


Ar 09:27 -0800 1998-10-30, scríobh Mark Leisher:
>Someone was asking me recently why they should use the Unicode Indic dependent
>vowels internally. I don't see any reason to use them because they make
>akshara construction and searching more complicated. They are only useful for
>rendering.

Indic languages do not implement Brahmic principles identically. A lot of
odd things occur, including non-initial independent vowels. Since an
independent vowel can occur non-initially, you couldn't predict when it was
a- and when it was -a.

Cham, for instance, makes regular use of independent vowels non-initially,
and indeed allows the use of dependent vowels with independent vowels as
well as consonants.

Isn't "Aer Indiya" written with an initial a- and initial e-? I can't seem
to remember.

It is important to make the distinction. For the gods' sake don't do a
"compatibility decomposition" on them.

Svasti,

--
Michael Everson, Everson Gunn Teoranta ** http://www.indigo.ie/egt
15 Port Chaeimhghein Íochtarach; Baile Átha Cliath 2; Éire/Ireland
Guthán: +353 1 478-2597 ** Facsa: +353 1 478-2597 (by arrangement)
27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn;  Baile an Bhóthair;  Co. Átha Cliath; Éire



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