A Holistic Approach to the Computerization of Asian Scripts

Abstract

In today’s age of computers, laser printers and instantaneous communication, the inability to write one’s language on a computer risks the detention of whole societies in the dark ages of illiteracy, a regression to the pre-Gutenberg state when only an elite of privileged scholars were commissioned to write and copy sacred books. While artists can replicate the calligraphy of classic languages, however, mere presentation on a video screen is only a first step in electronic writing. This paper seeks to provide a broader orientation to the work of computerizing Asian languages, and also indicates the prospective areas for future co-operation.

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Notes on contributors

Carlos A. Arnaldo

Carlos A. Arnaldo is the Chief a.i. of the Development Communication Section, Communication Division, Unesco, Paris.