Re: New contribution

From: John Cowan (cowan@ccil.org)
Date: Sun May 02 2004 - 20:41:40 CDT


Michael Everson scripsit:

> I don't believe that it is possible to claim that the Phoenician
> script is identical to the Hebrew script. When scripts have identity,
> it is possible to change fonts and still have people be able to
> recognize them. We did this when we unified the three Syriac styles.

I'm willing to bet that at least some people can only read one style.

> We did it when we disunified Khutsuri from Mkhedruli,

Xucuri is the lower-case version of Asomtavruli; Mxedruli is caseless.
That *is* a structural difference.

> disunified Coptic from Greek.

A defensible decision, which as you know I approved of.

> It is not possible to take an encoded Genesis text which is pointed
> and cantillated, and blithly change the font to Moabite or Punic and
> expect anyone to even recognize it as Hebrew.

It's not possible to take a German text and blithely change to a
(simulated) Suetterlin font and expect most people to even recognize
it as German or anything else.

-- 
Mark Twain on Cecil Rhodes:                     John Cowan
"I admire him, I freely admit it,               http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
 and when his time comes I shall                http://www.reutershealth.com
 buy a piece of the rope for a keepsake."       jcowan@reutershealth.com


This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri May 07 2004 - 18:45:25 CDT