[SG16-Unicode] Abstract and notes for D1859R0: Standard terminology for execution character set encodings

Tom Honermann tom at honermann.net
Mon Sep 9 21:33:27 CEST 2019


On 9/9/19 2:37 PM, Zach Laine wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 8, 2019 at 8:16 PM Tom Honermann <tom at honermann.net 
> <mailto:tom at honermann.net>> wrote:
>
>     On 9/8/19 12:02 PM, Steve Downey wrote:
>>     Character repertoire sounds good, and I will eventually learn to
>>     spell it. Character set is definitely terminology from the
>>     pre-unicode times, and unfortunately tends to merge the
>>     repertoire and encoding,
>>     https://www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets/character-sets.xhtml
>
>     I think I was a little over zealous earlier in stating that
>     Unicode uses "character repertoire" as I described.  I looked
>     again and don't find that term formally defined in the standard. 
>     However, "repertoire" is used throughout the standard in ways that
>     I believe are consistent with my description.  I wasn't able to
>     find an alternative formal term.
>
> I fully endorse overzelousness as applied to Unicode discussions.
:)
>
>     The way I've been thinking about it is that a "character
>     repertoire" describes a set of /abstract characters/ (a formal
>     Unicode term) and a "character set" describes a set of /encoded
>     characters/ (a formal Unicode term) that associate each /abstract
>     character/ member of a "character repertoire" with a /code point/
>     (a formal Unicode term) within a /codespace/ (A formal Unicode
>     term).  See sections 2.4 and 3.4 of Unicode 12 and uses of the
>     word "repertoire" within those chapters.  The Unicode standard
>     does use the term "character set", but I didn't find a formal
>     definition.
>
> I think I follow, except that I don't see whether there is a 
> distinction between "character repertoire" and "abstract characters".  
> Is there?  I'm asking because if there is not, I'd prefer to 
> standardize the formally described term, which sounds like is 
> "abstract characters".
"character repertoire" is singular and, as such, a "character 
repertoire" can be given a name.  "abstract characters" is plural and 
can be used in a more generic sense (e.g., "a property of abstract 
characters is that they blah blah").
> Zach


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