CE

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N1559
Date: 1997-05-01
This is an unofficial HTML version of a document submitted to WG2.

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

Source: Michael Everson
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 Cham script in ISO/IEC 10646. This proposal has been devised in collaboration with Hugh McGregor Ross.

A. Administrative

1. TitleProposal for encoding the Cham script in ISO/IEC 10646
2. Requester's nameMichael Everson, Evertype (WG2 member for Ireland)
3. Requester typeExpert contribution
4. Submission date1997-05-01
5. Requester's referencehttp://www.egt.ie/standards/ch/ch.html
6a. CompletionThis is a complete proposal.
6b. More information to be provided?No

B. Technical -- General

1a. New script? Name?Yes. Cham.
1b. Addition of characters to existing block? Name?No
2. Number of characters75
3. Proposed categoryCategory A
4. Proposed level of implementation and rationaleCham requires Level 2 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. The authoritative Cham-Vietnamese dictionary is: Bùi Khánh Thê. 1995. Tù Ðiên Chäm-Viêt = Inulo cam-byet nam. Hô Chí Minh: Nhà Xuât Ban Khoa Hoc Xã Hôi.
7b. Are published examples (such as samples from newspapers, magazines, or other sources) of use of proposed characters attached?Not provided here.
8. Does the proposal address other aspects of character data processing?Yes (see below)

C. Technical -- Justification

1. Contact with the user community?No, but there is contact with TCVN.
2. Information on the user community?Cham is an official national minority in Viêt Nam. There are approximately 86,000 Cham speakers living in Viêt Nam and another estimated 150,000 in Cambodia
3a. The context of use for the proposed characters?Cham script is commonly used to write Cham.
3b. ReferenceISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N1126
4a. Proposed characters in current use?Yes
4b. Where?In Viêt Nam and Cambodia.
5a. Characters should be encoded entirely in BMP?Yes. Positions U+1900 - U+197F are proposed for the encoding.
5b. RationaleCham is a Category A 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
8b. Where? 
8c. Reference 
9a. Combining characters or use of composite sequences included?Yes
9b. List of composite sequences and their corresponding glyph images provided?No; vowel signs combine with consonants in Level 2.
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:N1126
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

Cham is officially a national minority in Viêt Nam. There are two main dialects: Eastern and Western Cham, referring to two geographically located groups of people living in the eastern coast of Viêt Nam (current population 86,000) and in the western area of southern Viêt Nam and Cambodia (current population estimate 150,000).

Processing

Cham is a Brahmi-derived script. Conjunct-formation such as stacking, found in other Brahmic scripts, does not occur in Cham, though some of the consonants do have special forms when syllable-final. Rendering is therefore somewhat simpler than for other Brahmic scripts. Eight columns are required to encode Cham in Brahmic harmonization. In the code table given below, glyphs for the final consonants are given, showing how their positions can be mapped in an 8-bit font environment.

References


Names and code table

1900	(This postion shall not be used)
1901	CHAM SIGN NG
1902	CHAM SIGN ANUSVARA
1903	CHAM SIGN VISARGA
1904	(This postion shall not be used)
1905	CHAM LETTER A
1906	(This postion shall not be used)
1907	CHAM LETTER I
1908	(This postion shall not be used)
1909	CHAM LETTER U
190A	(This postion shall not be used)
190B	(This postion shall not be used)
190C	(This postion shall not be used)
190D	(This postion shall not be used)
190E	(This postion shall not be used)
190F	CHAM LETTER E
1910	CHAM LETTER AI
1911	(This postion shall not be used)
1912	(This postion shall not be used)
1913	CHAM LETTER O
1914	(This postion shall not be used)
1915	CHAM LETTER KA
1916	CHAM LETTER KHA
1917	CHAM LETTER GA
1918	CHAM LETTER GHA
1919	CHAM LETTER NGUE
191A	CHAM LETTER CA
191B	CHAM LETTER CHA
191C	CHAM LETTER JA
191D	CHAM LETTER JHA
191E	CHAM LETTER NHUE
191F	(This postion shall not be used)
1920	(This postion shall not be used)
1921	(This postion shall not be used)
1922	(This postion shall not be used)
1923	(This postion shall not be used)
1924	CHAM LETTER TA
1925	CHAM LETTER THA
1926	CHAM LETTER DA
1927	CHAM LETTER DHA
1928	CHAM LETTER NUE
1929	(This postion shall not be used)
192A	CHAM LETTER PA
192B	CHAM LETTER PHA
192C	CHAM LETTER BA
192D	CHAM LETTER BHA
192E	CHAM LETTER MUE
192F	CHAM LETTER YA
1930	CHAM LETTER RA
1931	(This postion shall not be used)
1932	CHAM LETTER LA
1933	(This postion shall not be used)
1934	(This postion shall not be used)
1935	CHAM LETTER VA
1936	CHAM LETTER SSA
1937	(This postion shall not be used)
1938	CHAM LETTER SA
1939	CHAM LETTER YA
193A	(This postion shall not be used)
193B	(This postion shall not be used)
193C	(This postion shall not be used)
193D	(This postion shall not be used)
193E	CHAM VOWEL SIGN A
193F	CHAM VOWEL SIGN I
1940	CHAM VOWEL SIGN II
1941	CHAM VOWEL SIGN U
1942	CHAM VOWEL SIGN UU
1943	(This postion shall not be used)
1944	(This postion shall not be used)
1945	(This postion shall not be used)
1946	(This postion shall not be used)
1947	CHAM VOWEL SIGN E
1948	CHAM VOWEL SIGN AI
1949	(This postion shall not be used)
194A	(This postion shall not be used)
194B	CHAM VOWEL SIGN O
194C	CHAM VOWEL SIGN AU
194D	CHAM SIGN VISARGA
194E	(This postion shall not be used)
194F	(This postion shall not be used)
1950	(This postion shall not be used)
1951	(This postion shall not be used)
1952	(This postion shall not be used)
1953	(This postion shall not be used)
1954	(This postion shall not be used)
1955	(This postion shall not be used)
1956	(This postion shall not be used)
1957	CHAM LETTER NGA
1958	CHAM LETTER NHA
1959	CHAM LETTER NHJA
195A	CHAM LETTER NA
195B	CHAM LETTER DDA
195C	CHAM LETTER PPA
195D	CHAM LETTER MA
195E	CHAM LETTER BBA
195F	(This postion shall not be used)
1960	(This postion shall not be used)
1961	(This postion shall not be used)
1962	(This postion shall not be used)
1963	(This postion shall not be used)
1964	CHAM STOP SIGN
1965	CHAM PARAGRAPH SIGN
1966	CHAM DIGIT ZERO
1967	CHAM DIGIT ONE
1968	CHAM DIGIT TWO
1969	CHAM DIGIT THREE
196A	CHAM DIGIT FOUR
196B	CHAM DIGIT FIVE
196C	CHAM DIGIT SIX
196D	CHAM DIGIT SEVEN
196E	CHAM DIGIT EIGHT
196F	CHAM DIGIT NINE
1970	CHAM VOWEL SIGN OE
1971	CHAM VOWEL SIGN OOE
1972	CHAM VOWEL SIGN EI
1973	CHAM VOWEL SIGN OO
1974	CHAM VOWEL SIGN EE
1975	CHAM VOWEL SIGN UE
1976	CHAM VOWEL SIGN UUE
1977	(This postion shall not be used)
1978	(This postion shall not be used)
1979	(This postion shall not be used)
197A	(This postion shall not be used)
197B	(This postion shall not be used)
197C	(This postion shall not be used)
197D	(This postion shall not be used)
197E	CHAM BEGIN TEXT MARK
197F	CHAM END TEXT MARK

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