Re: Multiple Writing Directions in One Script

From: Kenneth Whistler (kenw@sybase.com)
Date: Tue May 25 2004 - 15:19:27 CDT

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    > Archaic Greek could be written right-to-left, left-to-right, or boustrophedon.
    >
    > I'm asking for technical advice as to how such variability in writing
    > direction streams in the same script can be, and should be, handled in
    > Unicode, and how it should be dealt with in a Unicode proposal.

    TUS 4.0, p. 43 (available online):

    "The historical directionalities are of interest almost exclusively
    to scholars intent on reproducing the exact visual content of
    ancient texts. The Unicode Standard does not provide direct
    support for them. Fixed texts can, however, be written in
    boustrophedon or in other directional conventions by using
    hard line breaks and directionality overrides."

    That is how it should be handled in Unicode.

    And there is no point in making a Unicode proposal to do otherwise,
    as the UTC has shown no interest in treating such multiple
    directionality layouts as anything other than concerns for
    higher-level protocols.

    --Ken



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