[Smc-discuss] Re: Chillaksharams-Malayalam Unicode standard

[Vinod]

Sajith,

> In which document is this specified? In our font, we made consonant +
> Chandrakala =chillaksharam. As far as I know this is the opentype
> standard... So can you please point us to the document which specifies
> about the standard you mention?

Consonant+ virama + ZWJ should be rendered as a chillaksharam according
to the Unicode standard. My understanding is that this should be the
only way to produce a chillaksharam.

Please see the Malayalam section in:
http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode4.0.0/ch09.pdf

I quote:
"Five sonorant consonants merge with the virama when they appear in
syllable-final position with no inherent vowel. A consonant when so
merged is called cillaks.aram:..."

The above is just a description of what chillaksharangal are and is not
the Uniocde rule for them. The Unicode book goes on to specify the rule
for them:

"It is important to note the use of the zero-width joiner and zero-width
non-joiner in these environments:" 

and  gives an example which I paraphrase below.

NA + VIRAMA + MA --> NMA (a single conjunct)
NA + VIRAMA + ZWNJ + MA --> NMA (with a visible virama breve above and
between)
NA + VIRAMA + ZWJ + MA --> NMA (with the cillaksharam)


Vinod




> >      I have a unicode font MLU-Panini which is developed accocrding to
> > the Unicode standard. In windows I used to get Chillaksharams(pure
> > consonants) by pressing the correspondig consonant, Chandrakala & the
> > keys Ctrl+Shift+1 ( Unicode key- U+200d). But in Linux when i press
> > the zero width jointer I am getting an "image" like symbol.
> In the ml keybord we uses, zwj is at  "]"... This is the position
> of "nuka" in ISM keyboard... ctrl+shift+1 gives you unicode charecter 1,
> which is in no way ZWJ....
> >    What is the problem here. What changes & where should it be done in
> > order to get the proper rendering of the malayalam font, which is
> > strictly following the the unicode standard.
> I still doubt, it follows unicode standard... I will check it.....
> Is it a free font? If yes please send it to us...... Who made
> this? 
> >  
> > Note: In the case of default RH malayalam font, on pressing the
> > Chandrakala itself we are getting the Chillakasharams. In that case
> > how could you display ണ+് separated  ie, Consonant without vowel
> > sound.
> According to opentpe standard, consonant+chandrakala+zwnj should
> display them seperated. But pango doesnot support it yet.
> So you can use Consonent+ZWJ+chandrakala for this...... 
> 
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