There Is a Precedent for Having Traditional Variants Encoded Using FVS S: Undotted N, G

There is a precedent for having traditional variants encoded using FVS’s: undotted n, g, q, and especially final –s. for which a glyph is listed.

This can be easily extended to cover initial a-, using FVS1, to change current initial vowels such as –a to traditional forms (all present as medial variant after nirugu in combined names.)

How are then the traditional variants of (final or isolate) ligatures such as “bi-gi-ki (etc.)” to be described? Lessing uses traditional bi and traditional –s while using current vowel initials, but not traditional undotted consonants; Poppe uses current bi and traditional vowel initials, current –s and no undotted consonants. Clearly each writer has a different setting for each case, with the undotted consonants as the most traditional. There does not seem to be any reason to see only the bi cases as something to be solved on the font level, and the other cases not.

Since the undotted consonants are especially encoded, the less traditional (and more frequently encountered) other cases should then be encoded as well. I would suggest then to encode usual final bi/gi/ki as b-i etc. FIG121, and traditional forms as b-i-FVS1, FIG122 etc.

In dictionary forms, there are several ways to depict the isolated forms b-oe and b-ue, g-oe and g-ue, and q-oe and q-ue. By default, they are to be distinguished from b-o/b-u FIG123 etc., and are depicted with extra stroke: FIG124. In non-isolated final position they lack the extra stroke, but that is taken care of by normal predictable behavior.

Of these variant forms, I have found only isolated variant q-oe outside of metalanguage in Lessing, and that as a synonym for q-oe-g-e “soot”.

Since ZWJ, used generally in the case of o/u for such metalingual variants, would cause b-oe to go to b-oe-ZWJ FIG125, these cases also would need a FVS1 to derive at the spelling q-oe-FVS1 FIG126 in Lessing, and should be used in the other metalingual forms in this group as well.

3. There are a few problems with the problematic equation of what elsewhere are distinguished as g-Vf versus gh-Vm and k-Vf versus q-Vm.

There are masculine words which can end with Vm–gh (usual) and with Vm–g (very unusual). The latter should be therefore encodable a-b-i-s-i-g-FVS1: ‘consecration’ FIG127, versus usual ch-a-g ‘time’ FIG128.

QUESTION: this adds to the discussion whether we need two FVS here, one for masculine/feminine toggle, one for dotted/undotted.

Moreover, there are foreign words with letters Mongolian GA and Mongolian QA before o (sometimes doubled) and u: q-u-n-d-a ‘jasmine’ FIG129, g-o-s-i FIG130 or g-o-o-s-i ‘teacher’ FIG131.

There are two solutions: either use FVS, or perhaps, use 137, ALI GALI KA in this case? Kunda is from Sanskrit, but gosi from Chinese, not usually a candidate for Ali Gali letters. The application I have does Ali Gali k-oe etc. correct, but not k-o. Moreover, no required ligatures of AG go/ku are given in the ligature table.

Since we already have given g-FVS1-a another interpretation following TR170 (see g-FVS1-a-l, FIG80), and possibly q-a- to a dotted initial, we need to encode q-FVS2-u-n-d-a FIG129 versus ?q-FVS1-u-n-d-a, FIG132 and g-FVS2-o-s-i FIG130 versus g-FVS1-o-s-i FIG133.

There are other words where the word as such changes its gender within the word; however, such cases can be taken care of by usual encodings, although implementations should be aware. My guess is that they can be easily multiplied when combined words, with or without hyphens are taken into account. Examples: S-ue-q-e-b-a-g-a-t-u-r (name) FIG134, sh-a-g-d-u-r-s-ue-FVS1-r-ue-ng (name?)FIG135,a-l-a-b-q-i-q-ue ‘to jump onto a horse’ FIG136, a-g-d-u-s-q-i-q-ue ‘to stop suddenly (of a running horse)’ FIG137 (taken from Lessing), and b-a-s-a-q-ue ‘again, still’ FIG138 and g-a-g-ch-a-q-ue ‘exclusively’FIG139 (latter examples from a 1949 Inner Mongolian grammar; Lessing spells these words as two each).

I have found a third medial form for Mongolian TA: Poppe’s 1937 Russian grammar gives m-e-t-FVS2-ue ‘as, like’ FIG140, versus m-e-t-ue FIG141 and *m-e-t-FVS1-ue FIG142 (if it were a common foreign word.)

Re diphthongs.

The common diphthongs on –i have to be entered correctly: as initial or medial –a-y-i, -e-y-i-, -o-y-i-, -u-y-i, with the –y- before the –i- taking up a regular –i- shape. (See the FVS1 under YA for changing that shape.). At endings enter –a-i, -e-i, -o-i, or –u-i.

However, the diphthong –ue-i has to be entered as such in the first syllable, as –ue-y-i- in subsequent non-final syllables, and as –ue-i in the final syllable. Hence, its shape is not distinguished from /oi/ or /ui/ in any syllable. Entering –ue-y-i in first syllable would result in one stroke too many: j-ue-i-t-e-i ‘just’ FIG143.

The word n-a-i-m-a-n ‘eight’ FIG144 has irregular spelling, solved by correct input without the y.

The diphthongs –a-u and –e-ue- present no difficulty: note that in the latter case, the “ue” takes on the shape of the second syllable, as in q-e-ue-q-e-n ‘girl’ FIG145. Hence, the foreign a-ue has to be entered as a-ue-FVS1 to get at the correct spelling: a-ue-FVS1-t-FVS1-o-b-ue-FVS1-s ‘autobus’ FIG146.

Double vowels, such as d-o-o-r-MVS-a ‘under’ FIG147 form no particular problem.

The sequence sometimes transcribed –ua or –uua are to be entered as w-a and u-w-a: see ch-i-n-FVS1-w-MVS-a ‘wolf’FIG18.

QUESTION: SHA can appear undotted in traditional forms (see Poppe §80). It might be then of course entered as SA, but in analogy of other undotted forms, shouldn’t there be a form with FVS1 in cases proper sorting etc. is to be maintained?

Under Mongolian DA add as example e-d-FVS1 ‘goods, property’FIG148and derived forms e-d-FVS1-l-e-q-ue ‘utilize’FIG149. The first example is in order to distinguish the word from o-n ‘year’ FIG150 (i.e., *e-d FIG151).

QUESTION: what does one do with words such as a-q-s-i-o-m-a, ‘axiom’ FIG152with “q” in a non-defined position? Have it entered as a-g-FVS2-s-i-o-m-a, or define –q- nevertheless, or...? It might be easiest to describe, once again, FVS1 as dotting behaviour, and FVS2 as masculine/feminine changes, but the limited examples in TR170 use FVS1 only, creating these problems...

10.

QUESTION: How is exclamation ‘aa!’FIG153 to be entered? As a-FVS1-MVS-a or as a-FVS1-NNBS-a? The first would extend MVS to after vowels, the NNBS would extend the behavior beyond particles; but it seems silly to create a new solution for this special case. Or does get Ali Gali A into play here?