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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>, Biblical Languages <biblical-languages AT lists.ibiblio.org>, Hebrew Computing list <hebrewcomputing AT yahoogroups.com>, hebrew AT unicode.org, For issues pertaining to ancient languages <UNICODE AT LSV.UKY.EDU>, Unicode List <unicode AT unicode.org>
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  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Draft proposal for Unicode encoding of holam male
  • Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 16:05:17 -0700

I have drafted a proposal for encoding holam male (full holam) in Unicode. This is for cases when it needs to be distinguished from consonantal vav with holam, especially with the biblical text. The draft is at
http://qaya.org/academic/hebrew/Holam%20Male.html. (This will be converted to PDF for the final proposal.)

Your comments are welcome. They should be directed either to me personally (peterkirk AT qaya.org) or to the Unicode Hebrew list, hebrew AT unicode.org; I don't want parallel discussions on several lists. My conclusion remains tentative, so you are welcome to try to change my mind. If anyone would like to join me as a joint proposer, please let me know.

I hope to submit this proposal to the Unicode Technical Committee in time for their June 2004 meeting, for it to be considered alongside some other proposals to improve Unicode Hebrew, including http://www.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2692.pdf and http://www.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2714.pdf. I intend also to draft proposals for distinguishing medial and right meteg from the regular left meteg, and for clarifying the encoding of the accents zarqa/tsinor and tsinorit.

(Apologies to anyone who receives multiple copies of this. I am sending blind copies to some individuals and private lists.)

Here is my summary of my current draft proposal:

The Hebrew point HOLAM combines in two different ways with the Hebrew letter VAV. When HOLAM appears above the top right of VAV, the combination is known as holam male and is pronounced as a vowel. In modern typography holam male is not always distinguished from consonantal VAV followed by the vowel HOLAM, written with HOLAM above the top left of VAV, but the distinction is clear and significant in some texts, especially older texts. Holam male is very common in pointed Hebrew texts; consonantal VAV with HOLAM is less common but not extremely rare.


Unicode does not currently specify how to distinguish between these two sequences. Several different ways have been used in existing texts, or recommended for use with Unicode Hebrew fonts. To avoid proliferation of ad hoc solutions, it is proposed here that the UTC specify an encoding for holam male.


Four possible solutions are outlined below. The (tentatively) preferred solution is to encode holam male, when distinguished from consonantal VAV with HOLAM, as the sequence <VAV, ZWJ, HOLAM>.


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





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