Anshuman Pandey

Sharada Encoded in Unicode

2012-02-02T10:24:00.007-08:00

Sharada has been published in Unicode 6.1. The code chart is available, but the description of the encoding has not yet been released.

I first began working on Sharada in 2005, when I was researching the linguistic history of Kashmir. I wanted to write some notes on the scripts used in the region, but realized that Sharada was not encoded in Unicode. In fact, it was not even on the Unicode Roadmap. So, I authored Request to Allocate the Sharada Script in the Unicode Roadmap. After three years of intermittent research, I wrote Proposal to Encode the Sharada Script in ISO/IEC 10646, which was approved by the Unicode Technical Committee in 2010.

The next steps for representing Sharada on computers is the development of fonts and implementing the script in rendering engines.

New proposal for encoding the Newar script

2012-01-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

I have authored a new proposal for encoding the Newar script in Unicode.

One major difference from the preliminary proposal is the proposed name for the script. The name has been changed from "Prachalit Nepal" to "Newar". The rationale for the name change is given in the new proposal.

I encourage all experts and users of Newar to review the proposal and to provide feedback.

(Photo copyright © Matthew Herschmann)

Introducing the Dhimal script

2011-09-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

I just learned of a script used for writing the Dhimal language of Nepal. It appears to be a newly-invented script.

Cover of a book on the Dhimal script:

Vowel and consonant letters of the script:

Vowel signs and half-forms of consonants:

More information to follow.

The normalized spelling of 'Dhives Akuru'

2011-09-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

I began working on an encoding for the Dhives Akuru script of Maldives in June 2010. The project stalled for various reasons, but I've recently begun working on it again.

One outstanding issue is determining the normalized spelling of the script name 'Dhives Akuru'. The name dhives akuru (Thaana: ދިވެހި އަކުރު divehi akuru) in Dhivehi is `island letters'; ultimately from Sanskrit द्वीप dvīpa `island' + अक्षर akṣara `letter'.

The name 'Dhives Akuru' and 'Dives Akuru' has been used in English secondary literature since the early 20th century. The name 'Dhives Akuru' or 'Dives Akuru' was given to the script by H. C. P. Bell, who was one of the earliest European scholars to study Maldivian linguistics. More recent scholars of Maldives prefer the spelling 'Dhivehi Akuru' or 'Divehi Akuru'.

Between 'Dhives' and 'Dhivehi', the latter is more grammatically and phonetically correct. Rather, divehi akuru would be the most accurate transliteration; however, the form dhivehi akuru conforms to the transliteration of Dhivehi used in the Republic of Maldives. In this system, the letter 'h' is used for distinguishing dental stops from retroflex stops; it does not indicate aspiration as is common in Indic transliteration and the Dhivehi language itself lacks phonemic aspirated consonants. Thus, the dental /d/ (ie. Thaana ދ dhaalu) is written as 'dh' and the retroflex /ɖ/ (ie. Thaana ޑ daviyani) is written `d'. This rule governs the formal romanization of the name of the language as 'Dhivehi'. It also explains the differences in spelling of 'Dhives' / 'Dives' and 'Dhivehi' and 'Divehi'.

While 'Dhives' / 'Dives' may be grammatically incorrect as compared to 'Dhivehi' / 'Divehi', the former name has been used by both Maldivian and other scholars. The name 'Dhives Akuru' is, therefore, proposed for the name of the script block.

I am interested in comments regarding this issue.

Khatt-i Baburi, or The Script of Babur

2011-09-14T01:01:00.001-07:00

The 'Khatt-i Baburi' (خط بابری) is attributed to Ẓahīr ad-Dīn Muḥammad (1483-1531), or as he is more commonly known, Babur, the Timurid prince who established the Mughal dynasty in India in 1526. Tradition holds that he invented the script and used it to produce a manuscript of the Qur’ān. A copy of this text is believed to be held in the collections of the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi in Mashhad, Iran.

'Khatt-i Baburi' or the 'Script of Babur' is written from right-to-left. It appears to be unrelated to other writing systems, although preliminary analysis suggests that it might be a cypher of the Arabic abjad. Additional research is required before any firm conclusions may be drawn about its origins. Charts of the script show a repertoire of 29 characters; 28 of which are basic letters and 1 is a ligature.

The term `Khatt-i Baburi' may actually refer to two scripts attributed
to Babur. The available specimens label these as 'بابری' bāburī and 'مشهد' mašhad; the latter after the name of the city where Babur's manuscript of the Qur’ān is located. Additional research is needed to determine the relationship between the two.

The image below shows the correspondences between the Baburi script and Arabic:

The image below shows the Baburi, Mashhad, and Arabic scripts:

I have submitted an introductory document for the script to the Unicode Technical Committee.

A digitzed Kaithi typeface

2011-07-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

I've recently took another look at the digitized typeface for Kaithi, which I originally developed for my proposal to encode the script in Unicode.

Here is a specimen:

The Bhaikṣukī Script

2011-07-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

I have submitted a preliminary proposal to encode the Bhaikṣukī script in Unicode. This script is also known as the Arrow-Headed Script, a name given to it by Cecil Bendall in 1886. It was used mainly in what is now present-day Bihar state in India for writing Buddhist manuscripts and for some inscriptions.

The basic letters of the script are:

The chart is taken from Dragomir Dimitrov's Bhaikṣukī manuscript of the Candrālaṃkāra (Harvard Oriental Series, vol. 72. Cambridge: Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University, 2010).

The Arrow-headed Script Project at Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany has made great strides in bringing this script to light.

A new Modi typeface

2011-06-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I finished a draft version of a new Modi typeface, which I designed to accompany my proposal to include the Modi script in Unicode. A specimen of the font is shown below:

There is still much work to be done in terms of refining the letterforms and drawing new ligatures. But, I think that the font is suitable for handling basic requirements for representing Modi in plain text.

Representing /ɖ/ in Devanagari for Kutchi

2011-05-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

In a post from December 2010 I wrote about a unique Devanagari letter used in Marwari and other Rajasthani languages for representing /ɖ/. I recently learned that this letter was also used in Devanagari orthography for languages of Sindh, such as Kutchi. I proposed the letter for encoding in Unicode as DEVANAGARI LETTER MARWARI DDA.

The following specimen shows use of the letter:

The use of MARWARI LETTER DDA contrasts with the regular letter DDA:

I would be interested to learn if MARWARI LETTER DDA is used in the orthographies for other languages.

Some signs for writing Kashmiri in Sharada

2011-05-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

There are some signs added to Sharada for the representation of Kashmiri vowels:

A below-base 'slash' or virama:

An above-base 'bar' or anudatta:

An underdot or nukta:

The Wolof alphabet of Assane Faye

2011-05-10T20:24:00.001-07:00

I decided to take a small detour from working on scripts of South Asia to research an alphabet used in Senegal in west Africa. The alphabet was created by Assane Faye in 1961 for writing the Wolof language. The script is also known as 'Garay'. A chart is given below:

The alphabet is written from right-to-left and is based upon the Arabic model. There are initial and non-initial forms of consonants. I wrote a brief document that describes the script and the possible models for encoding it in Unicode. More information to follow.

The 'Prachalit Nepal' Script

2011-05-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

A preliminary proposal to encode the 'Prachalit Nepal' script (प्रचलित नेपाल लिपि) in Unicode has been submitted. The Prachalit Nepal script is the name by which the 'Newari' script is presently promoted. Although 'Newari' has been used in Nepali and Western languages in reference to the Newar community, language, and script, the term is not used by the Newar community.

A specimen of the Newar script from the Linguistic Survey of India (1909):

A chart published by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal showing Newari and other scripts historically used in Nepal:

A chart of 'Prachalit Nepal' from an online script tutorial at 'The Newah':

Research on the script is ongoing. A formal proposal will be developed in collaboration with users of Prachalit Nepal script. I welcome any information or comments!

The Multani Script

2011-04-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

A preliminary proposal to encode the Multani script in Unicode has been submitted.

A printed specimen of Multani:

Another printed specimen:

More information forthcoming.

The Kirat Rai Script

2011-04-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

I recently learned of another script used for writing the Rai language of Sikkim. It was brought to my attention by Bijay Bantawa. It appears to be a revision of the 'Khambu Rai' script I wrote about earlier.

Here are the consonant letters for Kirat Rai with their Devanagari correspondences:

I will soon submit a document introducing this script to the Unicode Technical Committee. Any information about this script is welcome.

Introducing the Khambu Rai Script

2011-04-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Khambu Rai script is used for writing Bantawa (ISO 639: bap), an eastern Kiranti language of the Sino-Tibetan family. It is spoken in Sikkim and Nepal by some three-hundred and ninety-thousand persons. The Khambu Rai script was developed in the 1980s by Kripasalyan Rai. Its current status is unknown.

The script appears to be an alphasyllabary based upon the Brahmi model. A repertoire of at least 63 characters has been identified. Consonants possess an inherent vowel. Vowels have independent and dependent forms. Three consonant ligatures are attested. A virama-like character has not been identified. Script-specific digits are, as of yet, unidentified.

Another Script for Gurung

2011-04-04T14:34:00.001-07:00

The Khema Script for Gurung

2011-04-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Khema script (also called `Khema Phri' or `Tamu Khema Phri') is an alphasyllabary based upon the Brahmi model. A preliminary analysis suggests a requirement for encoding 58 characters. Consonants possess an inherent vowel. Vowels have independent and dependent forms. There is a virama-like character. Script-specific digits are attested. Punctuation is indicated using danda-like characters.

Books and other materials are printed using Khema. It appears that at least two digital fonts have been developed for the script:

Specimen contains text typeset using digital fonts for Gurung and Devanagari:

The Khema script as represented in hand-writing:

Recently, Man Bahadur Gurung of the Tamu (Gurung) Language-Script Culture Development Foundation, Nepal submitted a document to the Unicode Technical Committee requesting the encoding of another script for Gurung. This script appears to be newer than the Khema script.

Research on the script is in progress.

Tani Lipi: A New Script from Arunachal Pradesh

2011-02-02T23:25:00.001-08:00

A script called Tani Lipi was developed a few years ago by Tony Koyu for writing the Tani languages of Arunachal Pradesh:

Tani Lipi received support from the governor of Arunachal Pradesh in August 2010 (press release) and was endorsed by the Arunachal Tribal Union (AIPU) in January 2011.

However, there is some skepticism about the practicality of adopting a new script instead of using existing writing systems. Some concern has also been voiced about the intention of promoting Tani Lipi as an official script of Arunachal Pradesh or as a common script for all languages of the state.

I prepared a brief document that introduced Tani Lipi to the Unicode Technical Committee. A new proposal is currently being developed. Any information about the script is welcome.

Change of name from 'Sindhi' to 'Khudawadi'

2011-01-30T14:48:00.001-08:00

My work on the Landa-based scripts of Sindhi continues. However, there has been an change to the name of the 'Sindhi' script that I proposed, and which I briefly discussed in a post in August 2010. The script is now called "Khudawadi". An image of it is given below:

The Khudawadi script was initially proposed under named 'Sindhi' because its character repertoire is based upon the 'Standard Sindhi' script. Standard Sindhi is itself based upon the Khudawadi script, which was the most well-known and complete of the Landa-based scripts used in Sindh. The intent of the original proposal was to develop a standard that might also be used for representing the minor Landa scripts of Sindh, some of which are unsuitable for independent encoding. As 'Standard Sindhi' was developed from Khudawadi in the 1860s with the same idea, the rationale is valid, but the choice of the name 'Sindhi' is not.

The generic name `Sindhi' is problematic for several reasons. It is generally used for referring to the class of Landa-based scripts of Sindh, ie. the 'Sindhi scripts'. It is not the proper name of any writing system that belongs to this script family. In fact, several other scripts, such as Khojki and Shikarpuri, are also known as 'Sindhi'. Even 'Standard Sindhi' was not known by the generic name 'Sindhi', but as 'Hindi Sindhi', etc. In modern India and Pakistan, the 'Sindhi script' is commonly understood to be the Arabic-based script used for writing the Sindhi language.

The name 'Khudawadi' is the most appropriate name for the script. It is the proper name of the script and is well attested in primary and secondary literature, such as the Linguistic Survey of India. The name is also used for 'Standard Sindhi', which is a reformed variant of Khudawadi and is referred to as such, ie. 'improved Khudawadi', in various sources.

The change of name from 'Sindhi' to `Khudawadi' will provide greater semantic and taxonomic clarity in identifying the various scripts used for writing Sindhi and the scripts used in Sindh. For example, it is more appropriate to refer to "the Sindhi scripts 'Khudawadi' and 'Khojki'", rather than to "the Sindhi scripts 'Sindhi' and 'Khojki'". Moreover, the use of the name 'Khudawadi' will enable users to distinguish between the Landa-based and Arabic-based scripts.

More details are available in the document requesting the formal change of name. The final proposal for Khudawadi is almost ready for submission to the Unicode Technical Committee.

Fraction Signs in Oriya

2011-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Six fraction signs historically used in Oriya have been included in Unicode 6.0. These characters appear in written and printed documents, and were part of at least four different sets of Oriya metal fonts. The fraction signs were commonly used until 1958, at which time the Government of India adopted the decimal system for currency and the metric system for weights and measures. The characters are now obsolete.

The fraction signs are illustrated by R. J. Grundy in the Concise Oriya-English Dictionary (Cuttack: Orissa Mission Press, 1928):

Amos Sutton shows only the quarter fractions in the Introductory Grammar of the Oriya Language (Cuttack: Baptist Mission Press, 1831):

These fraction signs are now part of the Oriya block in Unicode:

The Oriya fractions are related to the 'currency numerator' signs used in Bengali for writing fractions:

More information on the Oriya fraction signs is available in the original proposal. Information about the 'North Indic' fraction signs shown in the above image may be found in the proposal to encode Common Indic Number Forms in Unicode.

Independent or composite character?

2011-01-20T00:29:00.001-08:00

Should the characters below be encoded as independent letters:

Or, be represented using a sequence of existing characters:

Encoding two consonant ligatures for Limbu

2011-01-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

There are three major historical varieties of Limbu, which may be labeled using the names of the individuals to whom their development is attributed: Śirijaṅgā, Cemajoṅ, and Subba. The Limbu script encoded in Unicode is based largely upon the script reformed by B. B. Subba in the 1970s. This version is adequate for writing contemporary Limbu, but is missing some letters found in the repertoires of Śirijaṅgā and Cemajoṅ.

Two such characters are the letters GYAN and TRA, shown below:

I have submitted a proposal for including these characters in the Limbu block (U+1900).

These letters are part of a revised Limbu script defined by Īmāna Siṃha Cemajoṅ. They appear in charts published in his Limbu-Nepali-English Dictionary (1961) and Kirat Grammar (1970). As part of his expansion of Śirijaṅgā's original script, Cemajoṅ added letters to accommodate characters used in writing Nepali, such as jña and tra. When Subba began publishing textbooks in Limbu in the 1970s, he revised Cemajoṅ's script and removed the letters for jña and tra. Thus, their usage was rendered obsolete in comtemporary Limbu.

The Marwari letter DDA for Devanagari

2010-12-10T16:22:00.001-08:00

In Devanagari, the phoneme [ɖ] is generally represented with ड U+0921 DEVANAGARI LETTER DDA. In historical Devanagari orthography for the Marwari language of Rajasthan, [ɖ] is represented with a different letter. In Marwari, ड is instead used for representing [ɽ], an allographic variant of [ɖ], which is generally written in Hindi as ड़ U+095C DEVANAGARI LETTER DDDHA.

In the Linguistic Survey of India, George Grierson describes the usage of these characters in Marwari, as shown in the image below:

The character is also shown by Mathias Metzger (Die Sprache der Vakīl-Briefe aus Rājasthān, Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 2003):

For technical reasons, as specified in a proposal (WG2 N3970) submitted to the Unicode Technical Committee, this Marwari DDA cannot be treated as a glyphic variant of ड and should be encoded as an independent letter.

The forms shown by Grierson and Metzger differ slightly. My attempt at representing the two forms, in adherence with Monotype Devanagari, is shown below:

See the proposal for additional information about the letter and examples of use.

The Jenticha script for writing Sunuwar (Kõits)

2010-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Jenticha script is used for writing Sunuwar (Kõits), a Kiranti language of the Tibeto-Burman family, which is spoken in eastern Nepal and Sikkim. The script was developed by K. B. Jenticha (Sunuwar) in the 1940s. It is used primarily in Sikkim. The image below shows the original script (sourced from the Kirat Sunuwar Welfare Society); it has evolved to include more letters since its creation.

I have written a preliminary proposal for Jenticha. I am also working on an OpenType font for Jenticha, which will accompany the formal proposal to encode the script in Unicode. I welcome any information that will help me develop the Unicode encoding for Jenticha.

The Logographic Script of Pau Cin Hau

2010-10-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Pau Cin Hau, the founder of the Laipian religious tradition, developed a writing system in 1902 in order to convey his teachings. The script was a logographic system, in which the syllables of the Tedim language were assigned graphically distinct symbols. This logographic script was reformed into an alphabetic system in 1931.

I have written a document titled "Introducing the Logographic Script of Pau Cin Hau". It contains information about encoding the script in Unicode. Research on the script is underway and more information will be provided as it is uncovered.

Zanabazar's Xäwtää Dörböljin

2010-10-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

A preliminary proposal to encode the Xäwtää Dörböljin (Mongolian Horizonal Square) script in Unicode has been submitted. This script was created by Zanabazar, who also developed the Soyombo script.

Xäwtää Dörböljin (Mongolian: Хэвтээ Дөрвөлжин) is an alphasyllabary based upon the Brahmi model. It was used for writing Mongolian, as well as Sanskrit and Tibetan. It was inspired by the Tibetan script and has graphical similarities to Phags-pa and its variant forms (see tables in the proposal).

More details to follow. Any information on this script is welcome!

Preliminary Proposal for Soyombo

2010-10-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

A preliminary proposal to encode the Soyombo script in Unicode has been submitted. Soyombo (Mongolian: Соёмбо бичиг soyombo bicig) was used in Mongolia for writing Mongolian, as well as Sanskrit and Tibetan. It was developed in 1868 by Zanabazar (Mongolian: Занабазар), the first spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia. The name soyombo is believed to be derived from Sanskrit स्वयंभु svayaṃbhu, meaning 'self-made', ie. the 'self-made script'. The script is an alphasyllbary and is based upon the Brahmi model. The style of its letterforms resembles that of the Ranjana script.

The symbol on the Mongolian flag was also developed by Zanabazar. It is called the soyombo:

More details on Soyombo will be posted as research on the script progresses.

A revised proposal to encode Khojki

2010-09-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

A new proposal to encode Khojki in Unicode has been submitted. It is a revision of the preliminary proposal I wrote last year. Changes include: the removal of some vowel and consonant letters, more details regarding the representation of consonant conjuncts, and the inclusion of more specimens. I am interested in receiving feedback from readers of Khojki and other potential users of a Unicode encoding for the script.

Khojki is a Landa-based script from Sind, which is derived from the Brahmi script. It is used by the Nizari Ismaili community of South Asia for writing and printing religious literature known as ginān.

Another Note on Tirhuta

2010-09-04T03:32:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to my previous post on Tirhuta, I wanted to add that I was pleased that the Times of India (Patna) considered my work on Tirhuta to be of some significance as to deserve some column space.

In the January 21, 2010 print and online editions, Pranava K. Chaudhary wrote an article titled "Michigan varsity teacher move on Tirhuta script", which briefly described my work on Tirhuta.

It is certainly an honor that Mr. Chaudhary took interest in my small effort to enable support for the representation of Tirhuta in digital media through Unicode. Even more so that that article was printed in the Times.

Next Steps for Encoding the Maithili Script

2010-09-04T02:31:00.000-07:00

I've been working on encoding the Maithili (Tirhuta) script in Unicode for a few years (hey, this isn't my full-time job!). The latest document I wrote and submitted to the Unicode Technical Committee (UTC) is "Towards an Encoding for the Maithili Script in ISO/IEC 10646" (N3765 L2/09-329, 2009). That was preceded by the initial document (L2/06-226, 2006) to introduce Tirhuta to the UTC and to request an allocation for it to the Unicode Roadmap.

The UTC determined that Tirhuta was suitable for encoding as an independent script based on the information provided in N3765 L2/09-329. The issue with Tirhuta is that it has a lot in common with the Bengali script. Based upon their common origin from the Kutila form, several basic characters of Tirhuta and Bengali have identical glyphs. However, looking at other features of Tirhuta, such as the shapes of consonant ligatures, certain vowel signs, digits, and special signs, it is clear that Tirhuta is distinct from Bengali:

Not to mention that metal fonts for Tirhuta were cut in the 1920s because printing Maithili texts in the Bengali script just didn't seem right (see specimen below):

It's time to finalize an encoding for Tirhuta in Unicode. I'm working on a formal proposal that builds upon what I wrote in N3765 L2/09-329. I hope to submit it to the UTC for review by the end of September 2010.

But, I need help from Maithili speakers, specialists of Tirhuta, and all potential users in order to ensure that I describe the script completely and accurately in terms of its representative glyphs, orthography, etc. I recommend that all interested users please review N3765 L2/09-329 and L2/06-226, and to provide feedback to me. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated.

An Inscription in the Khudawadi Script

2010-09-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Landa-based scripts of Sindh were generally not used for much more than routine writing and general commercial activity. Michel Boivin of L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), Paris, recently sent me photographs that show the use of the Khudawadi script in an inscription.

Below is a photograph of a Khudawadi inscription in an ex-voto at the shrine of Udero Lal in Hyderabad, Sindh:

The image below shows the detail of the Khudawadi inscription:

In addition to Khudawadi, this ex-voto has inscriptions in four other scripts: Latin, Devanagari, Arabic, and Gurmukhi.

A proposal to encode Khudawadi in the Unicode standard is being prepared.

Forms of CANDRABINDU in Sharada

2010-08-31T03:04:00.000-07:00

Several Sharada manuscripts show regular and inverted forms of CANDRABINDU, sometimes written on the same line. In Sharada, the regular CANDRABINDU resembles an inverted form of Devanagari ँ.

In the following image, the inverted CANDRABINDU sign is used for writing OM, while the regular CANDRABINDU is used in other contexts:

The above specimen might lead one to think that OM is written with an inverted CANDRABINDU. Is it perhaps because it is considered a 'special' symbol?

In the following image both regular and inverted CANDRABINDU are used for writing OM (sorry, the beginning of the second line is smudged in the original):

Is there a semantic distinction between the regular and inverted forms of CANDRABINDU in Sharada? It does not seem so, especially when considering the use of both forms in writing OM, which has a fairly fixed meaning...

Do we just chalk it up to scribal idiosyncrasy?

Searching for Sources in Pau Cin Hau's Alphabet

2010-08-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

In February, I submitted a preliminary proposal to encode the alphabet developed by Pau Cin Hau in Tedim, Chin State, Burma in the early 20th century. I am searching for a copy of the "Sermon on the Mount" that was translated into the Tedim language by J. H. Cope and printed in Pau Cin Hau's script by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1931. An excerpt of the text is given below:

The source of the image is a document titled "Pu Pau Cin Hau Lai" stored at the Zomi Online Library. No author information is given for the article.

If anyone knows who authored the "Pu Pau Cin Hau Lai" article and/or where this particular "Sermon on the Mount" text may be found, please contact me. I would be grateful for the information.

Also, I welcome any and all input on the Pau Cin Hau Alphabet. It will certainly assist in the development of the Unicode encoding for the Pau Cin Hau Alphabet.

Modi accounting signs and number forms

2010-08-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

Modi documents contain unique signs that are used for marking monetary amounts. Two such signs are shown in the image below:

The character ꠷ is called आळी āḷī in Marathi. It represents the absence of numbers and is written after whole amounts to indicate that there are no fractions. In the image, the first highlighted example is ८००꠷ '800/-' and the third is १४०꠷ '140/-'. The ꠷ sign is encoded in the UCS as U+A837 NORTH INDIC PLACEHOLDER MARK. (More information on this and other signs is provided in my proposal to encode North Indic number forms.)

The other sign shown resembles the ÷ 'division sign' or obelus. It is used in the highlighted examples two and four in the above image. Based upon the context in which it is used, it seems to represent a 'remainder' sign, eg. the amount written and then some.

If there is anyone who is familiar with the use of these signs in Modi, I would be happy to hear from you.

A Draft Proposal for Mahajani

2010-08-09T19:30:00.001-07:00

I've written a short document about the Mahajani script, or rather, class of scripts. I'm still conducting research on Mahajani to determine if it is suitable for encoding or if it could be unified with Devanagari. I welcome any comments about this proposal.

Pyu: An Ancient Script of Burma

2010-08-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

A tentative code chart and names list for the Pyu script is available. The intent of these items is to facilitate discussion about the Pyu script and to determine the requirements for appropriately implementing the script in the Unicode standard. More information to follow.

The Standard Sindhi Script

2010-08-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

A document to encode the Standard Sindhi script in Unicode has been submitted. The Standard Sindhi script was developed by the Government of Bombay in 1868 in an attempt to implement a 'native' script for administration and education. The script is unrelated to the Arabic-based script used currently for writing Sindhi.

Standard Sindhi is based upon the Khudawadi script, which was the most developed and well-regarded of the Landa scripts used in Sindh. A complete set of vowel letters and vowel signs were added to the Khudawadi model, as well as other improvements.

I proposed the encoding of Standard Sindhi in the UCS as a way of representing the dozens of local Landa scripts used in Sindh. The Khudawadi script itself was not fully suitable on account of its inadequacies, so I chose to use the reformed version of the script: Standard Sindhi.

Zolai: A Script of the Zou Community

2010-08-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

I wrote a brief exploratory document for the Unicode Technical Committee about the Zou script (Zolai), which is used by the Zou-speaking communities of Manipur, India. More to come later.

Another Script for Writing Balti

2010-07-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

A curious script for writing Balti was described by George Grierson in the Linguistic Survey of India, Volume 3 (1909). I recently learned of another script that was used for writing a manuscript containing a story about the origins of Shigar, a town in Baltistan in northern Pakistan. I have written a short document that briefly discusses both scripts for Balti. It has been submitted to the Unicode Technical Committee. I would be interested in any information anyone might share about these Balti scripts.

The Dhives Akuru Script of Maldives

2010-06-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Dhives Akuru, or 'letters of the islands', is a Brahmi-based script that was used in Maldives until the 19th century. A revised preliminary proposal to encode Dhives Akuru in Unicode has been submitted for review. The script was used for writing lōmāfānu (copper plate scriptions) and other administrative documents. It was replaced by the Thaana script in the 19th century.

Gangga Malayu: A Malay 'Secret Script'

2010-05-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

A preliminary proposal to encode the Gangga Malayu script in Unicode has been submitted. Used in the Malay peninsula, Gangga Malayu is a 'secret script' that is based on the model of Brahmi, but whose letters are reportedly based upon those of the Arabic script.

'Cursive' Coptic Numbers in Unicode

2010-05-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

The final proposal for the encoding of Coptic Numbers in Unicode has been submitted.

'Tone Marks' of the Pau Cin Hau Syllabary

2010-05-22T03:24:00.000-07:00

More information on 'tone marks' of the Pau Cin Hau Syllabary.

Developing Unicode Support for Modi

2010-05-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Modi is a script that was used in Maharashtra for official and educational purposes until the 1950s, when it was formally replaced with Devanagari. Vast numbers of historical documents from the Maratha dynasty are written in Modi. I am working on a proposal to encode Modi in Unicode. I have developed a basic Modi font, which I am steadily enhancing and expanding. A chart of the basic characters is available. I welcome any and all comments.

Gondi Script

2010-05-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

A preliminary proposal for the Gondi script, developed in 1928 by Munshi Mangalsinha Masaram, has been submitted to the Unicode Technical Committee.

New Unicode projects for South Asian scripts

2010-05-11T14:01:00.001-07:00

New preliminary Unicode proposals have been submitted for the following scripts:

Gangga Malayu
Tolong Siki
Tani Lipi

Final proposals for the following scripts are almost ready:

Modi
Khojki

Check anshumanpandey.com for details.