Re: Mark-Driven Script Categorisation

2012/5/17 Philippe Verdy <verdy_p_at_wanadoo.fr>:
> 2012/5/17 Richard Wordingham <richard.wordingham_at_ntlworld.com>:
>> On Thu, 17 May 2012 22:14:55 +0200
>> Philippe Verdy <verdy_p_at_wanadoo.fr> wrote:
>>
>>> It has x just like the rest of the Basic Latin alphabet, in one of its
>>> input modes.
>>
>> Which keyboard layout are you looking at?  When present, it's usually
>> got by pressing <SHIFT> and the key used for U+0EAD LAO LETTER O.  It's
>> normally the only Latin *letter* enterable without invoking some
>> other switch.  You can look at the Microsoft keyboard page
>> (http://www.microsoft.com/resources/msdn/goglobal/keyboards/kbdlao.html),
>> or at the Duang Jan keyboard as supplied by LaoSoft (p9 of
>> http://www.laosoftware.com/download/Manuel-LW41-fr.pdf).
>
> OK, OK.... So this looks like there's an 'x'-like letter in the Lao
> script. But why should it be the Latin letter with all its allowed
> variations, its dual case, its cursive joining, its serifs ? May be
> the letter x was chosen because it has the property of a letter and
> not a mere symbol. But then this means that the Lao script needs a new
> letter of its own.

Correction: the Shift state of this keyboard is used only for some
rare Lao letters, but the rest is filled by punctuation and other math
symbols. When looking at the keyboard map, I actually don't see an x
letter but effectively a multiplication sign (just like there's a plus
sign two rows above).
Received on Thu May 17 2012 - 16:17:31 CDT