A recent message that I should have cross-posted to WELSH-L, which had yet to come into existence at the time to which my original note (attached) refers. Current reference is to debates on list iso10646, which discusses international coding standards. mg MGUNN@IRLEARN.UCD.IE ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Michael Everson's recent reposting of a GAELIC-L message to iso10646 prompts me to re-post an older message from the same source about an EC conference I attended in Luxembourg in 1992, at which my attempts to have Welsh language requirements taken on board seemed not to win any more kudos than Dr van Wingen's talk of Irish dotted consonants. When it comes to laying down acceptable standards or determining the kind of software which should be developed/purchased for future use, we should remember at least two international bodies may be involved (Dr van Wingen's reference is to ISO working groups, mine to EC->EU) neither one of them necessarily fully aware of the other's policies! Both the level of national representation of needs and the awareness of the needs of other nationals fell far short of my expectations at the Luxembourg Conference, as is clear from the notes given below. I understand that recognition for Welsh within the EU may be better at the moment that it was then. I know that support for Welsh in the UK (practical support) is certainly much stronger now than it was then. Marion Gunn ----------------------- msg reposted from GAELIC-L ----------------- Date: Thu, 21 May 92 10:06:38 GMT Reply-To: GAELIC Language Bulletin Board Sender: GAELIC Language Bulletin Board From: Marion GUNN Subject: Comhdha/il Eorpach < a European Conference > Tcht fhada as Be/arla faoi iamh. Bhi/ me/ i Lucsamburg an tseachtain seo caite, ag freastal ar chomhdha/il de chuid an Chomhphobal Eorpaigh, dar teideal "Teanga agus Teicneolai/ocht". Tri/ chu/is a thug ann me/: chun geallu/int a bhi/ tugtha agam do dhuine de mhuintir Gh-L a chomhli/onadh; chun bualadh le daoine a bhfuil paca/isti/ ri/omhaireachta a/ gcur i dtoll a che/ile acu i dteangacha e/agsu/la; chun a chur ina lui/ ar oifigigh de chuid an Chomhpobail Eorpaigh a phra/inni/ is ata/ se/ riachtanais lucht labhartha mionteangacha a chur san a/ireamh agus bogearrai/ a/ ndearadh no/ caighdea/in idirna/isiu/nta ri/omhaireachta a/ socru/. Last week I was in Luxembourg, attending an E.C. Conference entitled "Language and Technology". I had three reasons for going there: first, to fulfil an undertaking given to a member of G-L; secondly, to take a look at what people based in other European universities and computer companies are doing right now, and what plans they have; thirdly, to see whether E.C. officials understood the computing needs of smaller Community languages, including the ques. of character-coding. In talking to linguists from all over Europe, I found many DOS-users had had exactly the same experience as myself in the early days of using our first DOS machines: one's first ASCI experience, having to consult numerical tables (in my case, to build macros) in order to get commonly-used accented characters. Although complaining about access to accents & recounting many ad-hoc solutions (one man said he tricked his printer into printing the same line twice, one pass carrying diacritics!) none of the CEC officials I spoke to had heard of ISO 8859, much less 10646, but some of them very carefully wrote down and agreed to make further enquiries anent those magic numbers. :-) I only met with one negative approach: after I had referred to the lack of any provision for Welsh speakers, for example, even in the "European" ISO 8859, a man came to me in the coffee break who objected to having any of his -- the European taxpayer's -- money wasted on creating interfaces in languages even the natives seldom use publicly, in government or business (before reacting, find out how much truth there is in that statement). Everyone else I met in working-party situations was enthusiastically in favour of equipping all EC citizens with computing tools in the language of their choice, because cultural diversity is part of European unity... [rest of posting deleted. mg]