To: CyrTeX-en@vsu.ru, lcs@topo.math.u-psud.fr
Subject: Changes in Ukrainian ASCII-Cyrillic 
Message-Id: <E13zIRa-00005L-00@topo.math.u-psud.fr>
From: Laurent Siebenmann <lcs@topo.math.u-psud.fr>
Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 13:59:10 +0100


Dear Colleagues,

The short forms for Ukrainian ASCII-Cyrillic are of paramount
importance for typing. They must for ergonomy be unique to
Ukrainian. An optimal system of short representations is not
an easy wicket.  You may wish to comment/improve my current
proposal, which, incidentally, was much influenced by input
from Maksym Polyakov:

The 33+1 letters of the Ukrainian alphabet listed in the
conventional order are in their short forms:

  a b v g(or h) 'g d e 'e 'z z y i 'i j k
  l m n o p r s t u f x 't c w 'w q 'u 'a  '*

Here are the novelties (note the arrows):

         \cyrg ==> g (later h will be an alternative)
         \cyrg <== g and h
         \cyrgup <==> 'g
         \cyrsftsn <==> q

The recent revival of \cyrgup along with a certain tolerance of
\cyrg for \cyrgup is a major complicating factor that causes me
to wholly devote both g and h to \cyrg.  The \cyrg <--> h
correspondence comes from Ukrainian pronunciation of
\cyrg like (?) the 'throatal' German h in Horst.

That forces q for softsign which is not all that bad if one notes
that q has the shape of \cyrsftsn rotated 180 degrees.

Cheers

Laurent S