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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Hebrew transliteration

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Trevor Peterson <06PETERSON AT cua.edu>
  • Cc: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Hebrew transliteration
  • Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 04:23:39 -0800

On 21/01/2004 03:49, Trevor Peterson wrote:

===== Original Message From Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org> =====
Trevor, now it is you confusing different things. I might think that in
a particular work for a particular audience it is better to
transliterate. But such things should be the editors' decision. They
should not be forced to transliterate because technology does not
support mixed scripts. If they are, computer technology is taking us
backwards from the multi-script support which worked in the hot metal
era e.g. in BDB.


I don't recall indicating otherwise.


Let me remind you. You wrote:

True, an organization like SIL might work in several different languages and
want a coherent system of writing all of them; but Semitists have got along
for quite some time now without such devices. Their needs have not changed
dramatically in recent years, either.

But if you are going to produce a multi-script dictionary like BDB, but with computer technology rather than hot metal, you need a coherent system for writing each of those scripts. If Semitists have got on without such devices, it is only because they have not tried to reproduce BDB with computer technology but have allowed their publications to be less multi-script than they used to be.

It would be interesting to speculate whether limitations of computer (and, earlier, typewriter) technology have driven the general 20th century move to use more transliteration. But I can name at least one work in which Hebrew was transliterated rather than written in script because of computer technology limitations (of 15 years ago): my MA dissertation from London Bible College, in which I was able to use Greek script but was forced to transliterate the few Hebrew words I used.

If the editors of a new Hebrew dictionary etc today try to use multiple scripts, they will find that they need a technology like Unicode, or TeX, which supports multiple scripts. (I know this from experience, as one of the editorial team of such a dictionary, although I think we are only using Hebrew and Greek as well as Latin, plus perhaps some Cyrillic for translation examples.) They are in the same position as SIL. (Much of our editorial team is SIL, but that's another matter.)

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






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