ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N2544
2002-12-03
Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set
International Organization for Standardization
Organisation internationale de normalisationеждународная организация по стандартизации
Doc Type: Working Group Document
Title:
Revised proposal to encode the Manichaean script in the UCS
Source: Michael Everson
Status:Individual Contribution
Action:For consideration by JTC1/SC2/WG2 and UTC
Date:
2002-12-03

A. Administrative
1. Title
Revised proposal to encode the Manichaean script in the UCS.
2. Requester’s nameMichael Everson
3. Requester type (Member body/Liaison/Individual contribution)
Individual contribution.
4. Submission date2002-12-03
5. Requester’s reference (if applicable)
6. Choose one of the following:
6a. This is a complete proposal
Yes.
6b. More information will be provided later
No.

B. Technical -- General
1. Choose one of the following:
1a. This proposal is for a new script (set of characters)
Yes.
Proposed name of script
Manichaean.
1b. The proposal is for addition of character(s) to an existing blockNo.
1b. Name of the existing block
2. Number of characters in proposal
36
3. Proposed category (see section II, Character Categories)
Category B.1.
4a. Proposed Level of Implementation (1, 2 or 3) (see clause 14, ISO/IEC 10646-1: 2000)
Level 3.
4b. Is a rationale provided for the choice?
Uses combining characters.
4c. If YES, reference
5a. Is a repertoire including character names provided?
Yes.
5b. If YES, are the names in accordance with the character naming guidelines in Annex L of ISO/IEC 10646-1: 2000?
Yes.
5c. Are the character shapes attached in a legible form suitable for review?
Yes.

1

6a. Who will provide the appropriate computerized font (ordered preference: True Type, or PostScript format) for
publishing the standard?
Michael Everson.
6b. If available now, identify source(s) for the font (include address, e-mail, ftp-site, etc.) and indicate the tools used:
Michael Everson, Fontographer.
7a. Are references (to other character sets, dictionaries, descriptive texts etc.) provided?
No.
7b. Are published examples of use (such as samples from newspapers, magazines, or other sources) of proposedcharacters attached?
No.
8. Does the proposal address other aspects of character data processing (if applicable) such as input, presentation,sorting, searching, indexing, transliteration etc. (if yes please enclose information)?
No.
9. Submitters are invited to provide any additional information about Properties of the proposed Character(s) or
Script that will assist in correct understanding of and correct linguistic processing of the proposed character(s) orscript. Examples of such properties are: Casing information, Numeric information, Currency information, Display
behaviour information such as line breaks, widths etc., Combining behaviour, Spacing behaviour, Directionalbehaviour, Default Collation behaviour, relevance in Mark Up contexts, Compatibility equivalence and other Unicode
normalization related information. See the Unicode standard at http://www.unicode.org for such information on otherscripts. Also see Unicode Character Database http://www.unicode.org/Public/UNIDATA/UnicodeCharacter
Database.html and associated Unicode Technical Reports for information needed for consideration by the Unicode
Technical Committee for inclusion in the Unicode Standard.

C. Technical -- Justification
1. Has this proposal for addition of character(s) been submitted before? If YES, explain.
No.
2a. Has contact been made to members of the user community (for example: National Body, user groups of the scriptor characters, other experts, etc.)?
Yes.
2b. If YES, with whom?
Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst and the TITUS project in Frankfurt.
2c. If YES, available relevant documents
http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/unicode/iranian/3tagung.htm
3. Information on the user community for the proposed characters (for example: size, demographics, information
technology use, or publishing use) is included?
Iranianists and other scholars.
4a. The context of use for the proposed characters (type of use; common or rare)
Uncommon; the script is important for students of the Manichaean religion, as well as Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Bactrian,Turkish, and Tokharian.
4b. Reference
P. Oktor Skjærvø in Daniels & Bright 1996.
5a. Are the proposed characters in current use by the user community?
Yes.
5b. If YES, where?
Scholarly publications.
6a. After giving due considerations to the principles in Principles and Procedures document (a WG 2 standingdocument) must the proposed characters be entirely in the BMP?
No. Proposed allocation is U+10B00-U+10B2F
6b. If YES, is a rationale provided?
6c. If YES, referenceAccordance with the Roadmap.
7. Should the proposed characters be kept together in a contiguous range (rather than being scattered)?
Yes.
8a. Can any of the proposed characters be considered a presentation form of an existing character or character
sequence?
No.
8b. If YES, is a rationale for its inclusion provided?
8c. If YES, reference29a. Can any of the proposed characters be encoded using a composed character sequence of either existing charactersor other proposed characters?
No.
9b. If YES, is a rationale for its inclusion provided?
9c. If YES, reference
10a. Can any of the proposed character(s) be considered to be similar (in appearance or function) to an existing
character?
No.
10b. If YES, is a rationale for its inclusion provided?
10c. If YES, reference
11a. Does the proposal include use of combining characters and/or use of composite sequences (see clauses 4.12 and4.14 in ISO/IEC 10646-1: 2000)?
No.
11b. If YES, is a rationale for such use provided?
11c. If YES, reference
12a. Is a list of composite sequences and their corresponding glyph images (graphic symbols) provided?
No.
12b. If YES, reference
13a. Does the proposal contain characters with any special properties such as control function or similar semantics?
No.
13b. If YES, describe in detail (include attachment if necessary)
14a. Does the proposal contain any Ideographic compatibility character(s)?
No.
14b. If YES, is the equivalent corresponding unified ideographic character(s) identified?

The Manichaean script evolved from Syriac Estrangelo, and is believed by some to have been devised byMani himself, who founded the Manichaean religion in the third century C.E. The script is written fromright to left. A few of the characters have final forms in addition to the form which is used initially andmedially. A set of punctuation marks exist, and there are four diacritical marks which, while they look
similar, do behave differently. The double dot used to differentiate consonants is the same size as thesingle dot used for a similar purpose.

3

Proposal for the Universal Character Set

Michael Everson 2002-12-01

TABLE XXX - Row 1xx: MANICHAEAN
1xx00123456789ABCDEF

1xx11xx2Ä ê †Å ë °Ç í ¢É ì £Ñ î §Ö ï •Ü ñ ¶á ó ßà ò ®
â ô ˙©
ä ö ˙™
ã õ ˙´å ú ˙¨ç ù ≠é û Æè ü ØG = 00
P = 01

4

Michael Everson 2002-12-03

Proposal for the Universal Character Set

TABLE XXX - Row 1xx: MANICHAEAN
hex
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
0A
0B
0C
0D
0E
0F
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
1A
1B
1C
1D
1E
1F
20
21
22232425
262728
29
2A
2B
2C
2D
2E2FGroup 00

NamehexName

MANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION FLEURONMANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION DOT WITHIN DOT
MANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION SINGLE THICK DOT
MANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION SINGLE THIN DOT
MANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION TWO DOTS
MANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION LINE FILLER(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)
MANICHAEAN LETTER ALAPH
MANICHAEAN LETTER BETH
MANICHAEAN LETTER GAMALMANICHAEAN LETTER GHAMALMANICHAEAN LETTER DALATH
MANICHAEAN LETTER HE
MANICHAEAN LETTER WAW
MANICHAEAN LETTER ZAIN
MANICHAEAN LETTER HETH
MANICHAEAN LETTER TETHMANICHAEAN LETTER YUDH
MANICHAEAN LETTER KAPH
MANICHAEAN LETTER LAMADH
MANICHAEAN LETTER DHALATH
MANICHAEAN LETTER MIM
MANICHAEAN LETTER NUNMANICHAEAN LETTER SEMKATHMANICHAEAN LETTER AYIN
MANICHAEAN LETTER PE
MANICHAEAN LETTER SADHEMANICHAEAN LETTER JAIN
MANICHAEAN LETTER QAPHMANICHAEAN LETTER RISHMANICHAEAN LETTER SHINMANICHAEAN LETTER TAWMANICHAEAN COMBINING SINGLE DOTMANICHAEAN COMBINING DOUBLE DOTMANICHAEAN COMBINING ABBREVIATION DOTS
MANICHAEAN COMBINING PLURAL DOTS
MANICHAEAN LENGTHENER(This position shall not be used)(This position shall not be used)

Plane 01

Row 1xx3