ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N1643
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DATE: 1997-09-18
DOC TYPE: Expert contribution
TITLE: Proposal to encode Klingon in Plane 1 of ISO/IEC 10646-2
SOURCE: Michael Everson, EGT (IE)
PROJECT: JTC1.02.18.02
STATUS: Proposal.
ACTION ID: FYI
DUE DATE: --
DISTRIBUTION: Worldwide
MEDIUM: Paper and web
NO. OF PAGES: 4
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A. Administrative
1. Title Proposal to encode Klingon in Plane 1 of ISO/IEC 10646-2
2. Requester's name Michael Everson
3. Requester type Expert request
4. Submission date 1997-09-18
5. Requester's reference =20
6a. Completion This is a complete proposal.
6b. More information to be provided? No
B. Technical -- General
1a. New script? Name? Yes. Klingon
1b. Addition of characters to existing block? Name? No.
2. Number of characters 37
3. Proposed category Category B.1
4. Proposed level of implementation and rationale Level 1
5a. Character names included in proposal? Yes
5b. Character names in accordance with guidelines? Yes
5c. Character shapes reviewable? Yes
6a. Who will provide computerized font? Michael Everson, Everson Gunn Teoran=
ta
6b. Font currently available? Michael Everson, Everson Gunn Teoranta
6c. Font format? TrueType
7a. Are references (to other character sets, dictionaries,=20
descriptive texts, etc.) provided? Yes.
7b. Are published examples (such as samples from newspapers,=20
magazines, or other sources) of use of proposed characters attached?=20
No
8. Does the proposal address other aspects of character data=20
processing? No
C. Technical -- Justification
1. Contact with the user community? Yes, with the Klingon=20
Language Institute
2. Information on the user community? Klingon enjoys both scholarly=20
and popular use.
3a. The context of use for the proposed characters? Used to write=20
tlhIngan Hol, the Klingon language.
3b. Reference =20
4a. Proposed characters in current use? Yes
4b. Where? By scholars and enthusiasts.
5a. Characters should be encoded entirely in BMP? No. Positions=20
U+0001 CDD0 - U+0001 CD7F are proposed for the encoding.
5b. Rationale Accordance with the Roadmap.
6. Should characters be kept in a continuous range? Yes
7a. Can the characters be considered a presentation form of an=20
existing character or character sequence? No.
7b. Where? =20
7c. Reference =20
8a. Can any of the characters be considered to be similar (in=20
appearance or function) to an existing character? No
8b. Where? =20
8c. Reference =20
9a. Combining characters or use of composite sequences included? No
9b. List of composite sequences and their corresponding glyph images=20
provided? No
10. Characters with any special properties such as control function,=20
etc. included? No
D. SC2/WG2 Administrative
To be completed by SC2/WG2
1. Relevant SC 2/WG 2 document numbers: =20
2. Status (list of meeting number and corresponding action or=20
disposition) =20
3. Additional contact to user communities, liaison organizations etc. =20
4. Assigned category and assigned priority/time frame =20
Other Comments =20
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This encoding at derives from the Linux kernel source code=20
("Documentation/unicode.txt" by H. Peter Anvin, hpa@zytor.com), from=20
which some of the description here has been taken. This proposal=20
differs from the Linux registration by including an additional=20
character, KLINGON SYMBOL FOR EMPIRE at U+xxFF.
Several glyph forms for the Klingon alphabet are extant. The Qo'noS=20
font, designed for Star Trek: The Motion Picture by the Astra Image=20
Corporation, is the standard font used by the Klingon Language=20
Instutute and Paramount (though Paramount appears to use the=20
characters unsystematically vis y=B4 vis the Klingon language). The=20
Klinzhai font, derived from The U.S.S. Enterprise Officer's Manual=20
(1980), predates Marc Okrand's Klingon Dictionary and does not have a=20
standard relationship to tlhIngan Hol or to the Qo'noS font.)
Klingon has an alphabet of 26 characters, a positional numeric=20
writing system with 10 digits, and is written left-to-right,=20
top-to-bottom. Punctuation appears to be only used in Latin=20
transliteration. The standard Okrand transliteration for Klingon runs=20
as follows:
a b ch D e gh H I j l m n ng o p q Q r S t tlh u v w y '
In the names list below, "q" is written Q and "Q" is written QH.
This encoding has been endorsed by the Klingon Language Institute=20
(http://www.kli.org/).
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U+xxD0 KLINGON LETTER A
U+xxD1 KLINGON LETTER B
U+xxD2 KLINGON LETTER CH
U+xxD3 KLINGON LETTER D
U+xxD4 KLINGON LETTER E
U+xxD5 KLINGON LETTER GH
U+xxD6 KLINGON LETTER H
U+xxD7 KLINGON LETTER I
U+xxD8 KLINGON LETTER J
U+xxD9 KLINGON LETTER L
U+xxDA KLINGON LETTER M
U+xxDB KLINGON LETTER N
U+xxDC KLINGON LETTER NG
U+xxDD KLINGON LETTER O
U+xxDE KLINGON LETTER P
U+xxDF KLINGON LETTER Q
U+xxE0 KLINGON LETTER QH
U+xxE1 KLINGON LETTER R
U+xxE2 KLINGON LETTER S
U+xxE3 KLINGON LETTER T
U+xxE4 KLINGON LETTER TLH
U+xxE5 KLINGON LETTER U
U+xxE6 KLINGON LETTER V
U+xxE7 KLINGON LETTER W
U+xxE8 KLINGON LETTER Y
U+xxE9 KLINGON LETTER GLOTTAL STOP
U+xxEA (This position shall not be used)
U+xxEB (This position shall not be used)
U+xxEB (This position shall not be used)
U+xxED (This position shall not be used)
U+xxEE (This position shall not be used)
U+xxEF (This position shall not be used)
U+xxF0 KLINGON DIGIT ZERO
U+xxF1 KLINGON DIGIT ONE
U+xxF2 KLINGON DIGIT TWO
U+xxF3 KLINGON DIGIT THREE
U+xxF4 KLINGON DIGIT FOUR
U+xxF5 KLINGON DIGIT FIVE
U+xxF6 KLINGON DIGIT SIX
U+xxF7 KLINGON DIGIT SEVEN
U+xxF8 KLINGON DIGIT EIGHT
U+xxF9 KLINGON DIGIT NINE
U+xxFA (This position shall not be used)
U+xxFB (This position shall not be used)
U+xxFC (This position shall not be used)
U+xxFD (This position shall not be used)
U+xxFE (This position shall not be used)
U+xxFF KLINGON SYMBOL FOR EMPIRE
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HTML Michael Everson, everson@indigo.ie, http://www.indigo.ie/egt,=20
Dublin, 1997-09-18