From: p_j_anderson@volny.cz
Date: Wed Feb 17 2010 - 09:57:25 CST
The 'how' is also important:
The text I provided can be represented in Unicode with the addition of
just these 2 letters only if it reuses the existing Unicode Tifinagh
letters by using the font to give them the Niger regional forms.
Otherwise 2 further consonant letters and two more vowels would be needed,
along with the (ab)use of existing letters to represent different consonants
from the ones they represent in other Tuareg variants and Northern Berber.
What I'm suggesting is a way to represent all Tifinagh usage (including
classical Tuareg) across the Berber zone, that reuses existing Unicode
work with minimal extension, that enables the sharing of tools such
as fonts and keyboard drivers between language variants that use Tifinagh,
and that allows for regional and cosmetic variation in letter forms
such as leaning 'L' and 'N' versus joining the lines. You can see some
examples of leaned L's in the text.
To demonstrate the approach, I have created rough fonts with an Algerian
(Berber Academy-like) repertoire as a specific example for Northern
Berber, with a Windows keyboard driver for easy typing:
http://www.akufi.org/tools/index.html
There is also a font for the Tuareg of Niger (APT form). The two missing
vowels can be typed either by awkward keypresses to get them from the
private use area, or by typing a Tifinagh 'i' with dot below for 'e'
or 'u' with dot below for 'o' as my suggested temporary alternative.
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