Proposal for encoding Etruscan in ISO/IEC 10646

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N1580
Date: 1997-08-16
This is an unofficial HTML version of a document submitted to WG2.

Title: Proposal for encoding the Etruscan script in ISO/IEC 10646

Source: Michael Everson, Everson Gunn Teoranta (IE)
Status: Expert Contribution
Action: For consideration by JTC1/SC2/WG2

This document contains the proposal summary (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 form N1352) and contains a complete proposal to encode the Etruscan script in ISO/IEC 10646. This proposal is a minor revision of a proposal by Rick McGowan, taken from Unicode Technical Report No. 3.

A. Administrative

1. Title Proposal for encoding the Etruscan script in ISO/IEC 10646

2. Requester's name Michael Everson, Evertype (WG2 member for Ireland)

3. Requester type Expert contribution

4. Submission date 1997-05-26

5. Requester's reference http://www.evertype.com/standards/iso10646/plane-1/eo.html

6a. Completion This is a complete proposal.

6b. More information to be provided? No.

B. Technical -- General

1a. New script? Name? Yes. Etruscan.

1b. Addition of characters to existing block? Name? No

2. Number of characters 39

3. Proposed category Category C

4. Proposed level of implementation and rationale Etruscan requires Level 1 implementation.

5a. Character names included in proposal? Yes

5b. Character names in accordance with guidelines? Yes

5c. Character shapes reviewable? Yes (see below)

6a. Who will provide computerized font? Michael Everson, Evertype

6b. Font currently available? Michael Everson, Evertype

6c. Font format? TrueType

7a. Are references (to other character sets, dictionaries, descriptive texts, etc.) provided? Yes.

7b. Are published examples (such as samples from newspapers, magazines, or other sources) of use of proposed characters attached? No.

8. Does the proposal address other aspects of character data processing? No.

C. Technical -- Justification

1. Contact with the user community? No.

2. Information on the user community? Scholarly community and script enthusiasts.

3a. The context of use for the proposed characters? Etruscan script is commonly used to write Etruscan.

3b. Reference Unicode Technical Report #3

4a. Proposed characters in current use? Yes

4b. Where? By scholars worldwide.

5a. Characters should be encoded entirely in BMP? No. Positions U+0001 0100 - U+0001 012F are proposed for the encoding.

5b. Rationale Etruscan is a Category C script.

6. Should characters be kept in a continuous range? Yes

7a. Can the characters be considered a presentation form of an existing character or character sequence? No

7b. Where?

7c. Reference

8a. Can any of the characters be considered to be similar (in appearance or function) to an existing character? No, apart from the usual resemblences of related scripts like Latin and Greek

8b. Where?

8c. Reference

9a. Combining characters or use of composite sequences included? No

9b. List of composite sequences and their corresponding glyph images provided? No

10. Characters with any special properties such as control function, etc. included? No

D. SC2/WG2 Administrative
To be completed by SC2/WG2
1. Relevant SC 2/WG 2 document numbers:

2. Status (list of meeting number and corresponding action or disposition)

3. Additional contact to user communities, liaison organizations etc.

4. Assigned category and assigned priority/time frame

Other Comments

E. Proposal

User community

The Etruscan script is used to write both the Etruscan and the Oscan languages. Etruscan was the language of a people (who called themselves Rasna) in Etruria, now Tuscany in western Italy. The Etruscan civilization lived alongside that of the Romans and there was much contact between the two. Inscriptions in Etruscan range from about the -7th century to about the 1st century. Oscan, an Italic language similar to Latin, is unrelated to Etruscan, which may have been non-Indo-European and is imperfectly known.

Processing

Etruscan was written from right to left (occasionally boustrophedon). Archaic inscriptions have no spaces between words, but later inscriptions frequently have single or double dots between words. The letters II and UU are used in Oscan but not in Etruscan. The letters ES and O appear in Etruscan inscriptions only in the context of abecedaries and were apparently not used to write the Etruscan language.

Etruscan can be written either right-to-left or left-to-right. Right-to-left was most commonly used by the Etruscans themselves in antiquity, but most modern users employ left-to-right display. Accordingly, the default direction for the Etruscan script is considered to be left-to-right, and right-to-left display can be achieved by use of U+200F. It should be noted that the glyphs in fonts for right-to-left display are mirror images of the glyphs given in the table below.

Three columns are required to encode Etruscan. The Etruscan block is divided into the following ranges:

	U+0001 xx00 -> xx1C	Etruscan letters
	U+0001 xx1F		currently unassigned
	U+0001 xx20		Etruscan word space
	U+0001 xx21 -> xx29	Etruscan numerals
	U+0001 xx2A -> xx2F	currently unassigned

References

Faulmann, Carl. 1990 (1880). Das Buch der Schrift. Frankfurt am Main: Eichborn. ISBN 3-8218-1720-8
Gaur, Albertine. 1992. A history of writing. London: The British Museum. ISBN 0-7123-0270-0
Haarmann, Harald. 1990. Universalgeschichte der Schrift. Frankfurt: Cempus Verlag. ISBN 3-593-34346-0
Pallottino, Massimo. [s.d.]. Etruscologia. 7th ed. Milano: Editore Ulrico Hoepli.
Robinson, Andrew. 1995. The story of writing. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-01665-8

Names and code table

000	0001 xx00	ETRUSCAN LETTER A
001	0001 xx01	ETRUSCAN LETTER BE
002	0001 xx02	ETRUSCAN LETTER KE
003	0001 xx03	ETRUSCAN LETTER DE
004	0001 xx04	ETRUSCAN LETTER E
005	0001 xx05	ETRUSCAN LETTER VE
006	0001 xx06	ETRUSCAN LETTER ZE
007	0001 xx07	ETRUSCAN LETTER HE
008	0001 xx08	ETRUSCAN LETTER THE
009	0001 xx09	ETRUSCAN LETTER I
010	0001 xx0A	ETRUSCAN LETTER KA
011	0001 xx0B	ETRUSCAN LETTER EL
012	0001 xx0C	ETRUSCAN LETTER EM
013	0001 xx0D	ETRUSCAN LETTER EN
014	0001 xx0E	ETRUSCAN LETTER ESH
015	0001 xx0F	ETRUSCAN LETTER O (Faliscan)
016	0001 xx10	ETRUSCAN LETTER PE
017	0001 xx11	ETRUSCAN LETTER SHE
018	0001 xx12	ETRUSCAN LETTER KU
019	0001 xx13	ETRUSCAN LETTER ER
020	0001 xx14	ETRUSCAN LETTER ES
021	0001 xx15	ETRUSCAN LETTER TE
022	0001 xx16	ETRUSCAN LETTER U
023	0001 xx17	ETRUSCAN LETTER EKS (Faliscan)
025	0001 xx18	ETRUSCAN LETTER PHE
026	0001 xx19	ETRUSCAN LETTER KHE
027	0001 xx1A	ETRUSCAN LETTER EF
028	0001 xx1B	ETRUSCAN LETTER ERS (Umbrian)
029	0001 xx1C	ETRUSCAN LETTER CHE (Umbrian)
030	0001 xx1D	ETRUSCAN LETTER II (Oscan)
031	0001 xx1E	ETRUSCAN LETTER UU (Oscan)
032	0001 xx1F	(This position shall not be used)
033	0001 xx20	ETRUSCAN WORD DIVIDER
034	0001 xx21	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL ONE
035	0001 xx22	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL FIVE
036	0001 xx23	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL TEN
036	0001 xx24	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL FIFTY
037	0001 xx25	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL ONE HUNDRED
038	0001 xx26	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL ALTERNATE ONE HUNDRED
039	0001 xx27	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL ONE THOUSAND
040	0001 xx28	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL ONE HUNDRED OR ONE THOUSAND
041	0001 xx29	ETRUSCAN NUMERAL ONE THOUSAND OR TEN THOUSAND
042	0001 xx2A	(This position shall not be used)
043	0001 xx2B	(This position shall not be used)
044	0001 xx2C	(This position shall not be used)
045	0001 xx2D	(This position shall not be used)
046	0001 xx2E	(This position shall not be used)
047	0001 xx2F	(This position shall not be used)

Michael Everson, Evertype, Dublin, 2001-09-21

A. Administrative
1. Title	Proposal for encoding the Etruscan script in ISO/IEC 10646
2. Requester's name	Michael Everson, Evertype (WG2 member for Ireland)
3. Requester type	Expert contribution
4. Submission date	1997-05-26
5. Requester's reference	http://www.evertype.com/standards/iso10646/plane-1/eo.html
6a. Completion	This is a complete proposal.
6b. More information to be provided?	No.

B. Technical -- General
1a. New script? Name?	Yes. Etruscan.
1b. Addition of characters to existing block? Name?	No
2. Number of characters	39
3. Proposed category	Category C
4. Proposed level of implementation and rationale	Etruscan requires Level 1 implementation.
5a. Character names included in proposal?	Yes
5b. Character names in accordance with guidelines?	Yes
5c. Character shapes reviewable?	Yes (see below)
6a. Who will provide computerized font?	Michael Everson, Evertype
6b. Font currently available?	Michael Everson, Evertype
6c. Font format?	TrueType
7a. Are references (to other character sets, dictionaries, descriptive texts, etc.) provided?	Yes.
7b. Are published examples (such as samples from newspapers, magazines, or other sources) of use of proposed characters attached?	No.
8. Does the proposal address other aspects of character data processing?	No.

C. Technical -- Justification
1. Contact with the user community?	No.
2. Information on the user community?	Scholarly community and script enthusiasts.
3a. The context of use for the proposed characters?	Etruscan script is commonly used to write Etruscan.
3b. Reference	Unicode Technical Report #3
4a. Proposed characters in current use?	Yes
4b. Where?	By scholars worldwide.
5a. Characters should be encoded entirely in BMP?	No. Positions U+0001 0100 - U+0001 012F are proposed for the encoding.
5b. Rationale	Etruscan is a Category C script.
6. Should characters be kept in a continuous range?	Yes
7a. Can the characters be considered a presentation form of an existing character or character sequence?	No
7b. Where?
7c. Reference
8a. Can any of the characters be considered to be similar (in appearance or function) to an existing character?	No, apart from the usual resemblences of related scripts like Latin and Greek
8b. Where?
8c. Reference
9a. Combining characters or use of composite sequences included?	No
9b. List of composite sequences and their corresponding glyph images provided?	No
10. Characters with any special properties such as control function, etc. included?	No

D. SC2/WG2 Administrative To be completed by SC2/WG2
1. Relevant SC 2/WG 2 document numbers:
2. Status (list of meeting number and corresponding action or disposition)
3. Additional contact to user communities, liaison organizations etc.
4. Assigned category and assigned priority/time frame
Other Comments

Title: Proposal for encoding the Etruscan script in ISO/IEC 10646

Source: Michael Everson, Everson Gunn Teoranta (IE) Status: Expert Contribution Action: For consideration by JTC1/SC2/WG2

A. Administrative

B. Technical -- General