RE: Upper case U+0364 for U+0308

From: Kent Karlsson (kent.karlsson14@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Jan 10 2006 - 16:25:55 CST

  • Next message: David Starner: "Re: Upper case U+0364 for U+0308"

    [Not citing all of the message, but my comment below applies generally;
    and
    I've said it many times before. Unfortunately it seems to need saying
    yet again.]

    > > Likewise for V and U. Or would you encode the V in that stamp sample
    as
    > > U? I do hope not.
    >
    > If I wanted the text to be searchable, spell-checkable and
    > sortable as standard German text, you bet I would.

    I think it is the AUTHOR of the text that should decide on all spelling
    issues.
    That includes diaeresis vs. e above, U vs. V and many many other cases
    (including
    numerous spelling reforms for numerous languages). The font designer
    should
    have NO say in matters of spelling, i.e. the font should not give the
    *appearance*
    of a spelling different from that actually used in the text. E.g. IMO it
    is not acceptable
    to actually have the character sequence for "vila" (modern spelling) be
    displayed
    as "whila" (old spelling), or display "de har" (modern spelling) as "de
    hava" (old
    spelling, for an old pronunciation), or display "Ni" (modern spelling)
    as "I" (old
    spelling, again for an old pronunciation), etc., etc.

    So, yes, if you want to apply a programmatic spell checker, it has to be
    for the
    orthography used; not trying to apply a spell checker for modern
    spelling on
    what looks like old spelling (but just looks that way via a
    really-bad-idea font
    applied to modern spelling).

    That it is the case that some (acceptable) font variants have separate
    encodings is
    not a licence to do apparent spelling substitutions via the font, even
    for simple cases.

    "Artsy" text display can do whatever, and use whatever encoding ("hacked
    fonts"),
    or even be available solely as images (i.e. not as character strings
    from which the
    images are made via a font; though there may be an "alt" text, like for
    HTML images).
    I would not count the example cited a necessarily "artsy", though given
    as an
    image only. The (apparent; I guess the stamp may be hand drawn) font for
    the
    text is not very "artsy", I think.

            /kent k



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