Re: Armenian Eternity Sign (proposal)

From: satai <satai_at_akauri.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:07:26 +0400

> On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 8:54 PM, Michael Everson <everson_at_evertype.com>wrote:
> Except that this is used as an Eternity Sign only in Armenia.

This is not correct. Georgian meaning is quite broad and I provided the
most widely accepted one. Other meanings are flow of time and eternity.
(This can be verified in Georgian Wikipedia [I can provide a translation]
or I can provide scanned sources, but they are in Georgian and Russian)
That is why I said ETERNITY SIGN, common to both Armenian and Georgian
context, is a neutral name (instead of SOLAR SIGN, which is specific to
Georgian context).

I would like to emphasize, that if it is placed as an Armenian sign in the
Armenian block, then there is no issue in my opinion. I am discussing a
situation when it is added as a common-use symbol.

> Nor have you shown evidence that the Borjgali is used anywhere in text.

Exactly the same note can be applied to the proposal N3924 (as well as
N3923). This symbol is not an element of any writing system (neither
Armenian, nor Georgian), thus, it cannot be used in a text except as a
dingbat.

Even more, in N3924 you wrote: "*The eternity sign can be found everywhere
in Armenian architecture; on doors, walls, and so on*". Text is not
mentioned. Frankly, I do not see the difference from what I shown on
http://www.kartulad.org/pub/unicode/N3924/.

> Or that it has two different rotations.

If you review the samples you referred (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_lari), you will find two different
rotation directions on Georgian coins and banknotes (compare any banknote
with Borjgali to any coin with it). Same is available via the link I
supplied initially (http://www.kartulad.org/pub/unicode/N3924/).

> Or discussed whether the use of seven wings on the Borjgali sign is
meaningful.

We did not discuss this at all. The answer is yes, it is meaningful in
Georgian tradition. Or, speaking more strictly, traditional 7 wings on
Borjgali has its explanation as well as traditional 8 wings on the unnamed
Armenian Eternity Sign.

Alex.
On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 8:54 PM, Michael Everson <everson_at_evertype.com>wrote:

> On 19 Jan 2012, at 16:33, satai wrote:
>
> > RIGHT-FACING ETERNITY SIGN and LEFT-FACING ETERNITY SIGN are completely
> neutral names.
>
> Except that this is used as an Eternity Sign only in Armenia. it does not
> seem to me that "The Borjgali (a Georgian symbol of the Sun with seven
> rotating wings)" shown on some of the coins athttp://
> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_lari is an eternity symbol. Nor have you
> shown evidence that the Borjgali is used anywhere in text. Or that it has
> two different rotations. Or discussed whether the use of seven wings on the
> Borjgali sign is meaningful.
>
> One of these two characters is being encoded for compatibility with
> Armenian character sets; both characters and their names are supported by
> the Armenian Standards body.
>
> Perhaps you have a different character, but the name of the character
> being encoded is not, I believe, a misnomer. Even if the character may have
> other names.
>
> Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com/
>
>
>
>
Received on Thu Jan 19 2012 - 12:11:24 CST

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