To: CyrTeX-en@vsu.ru, lcs@topo.math.u-psud.fr
Subject: ASCII-Cyrillic, Ukranian style
Message-Id: <E13brh5-0006uF-00@topo.math.u-psud.fr>
From: Laurent Siebenmann <lcs@topo.math.u-psud.fr>
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 23:46:19 +0200


Dear Colleagues in the Ukraine,

I am wondering how to adapt the current
ASCII-Cyrillic to Ukrainian. Since I am a total
stranger to the Ukrainian language I need help. Here
are some problems you may want to comment on,
(privately if you prefer).  The only Ukrainian text I
have seen so far is the bible!

(1) I see cyrillic  letter "ghe" with upturn, unicode
hex O491 for lowercase, and unicode hex 0490 for
uppercase. For example in words such as le'g'ion'iv
angel'iv, 'Gol'gofa, and Ma'gdale -- where I an now
writing that strange letter as the variants 'g and 'G
of g and G. (also I write 'i for Ukrainian {i}, and
recall \cyrzh is now 'z.)

Is this letter "ghe with upturn" part of modern
Ukrainian? Would it appear in a newspaper or a
scientific article? If not, what would relace it?

(2) It would appear that the hard sign becomes
something like "right single quote" in some (all????)
Ukrainian prose. Examples with * for that sign:-

      z*'asuvav,    z*"ili

If the Russian hard sign is sometimes used in
Ukrainian, then maybe the present ASCII-Cyrillic
convention of "q" for hardsign is tolerable --
provided Ukrainian language is declared in a header.
If Russian hard sign is not used, then something
more radical like * may be needed.

(3) I have not encountered \cyrerev in Ukrainian.
Likewise, \cyreri and  \cyryo are missing. What
replaces them? 

(4) Are some other modern Russian letters missing
from Ukrainian?

(5) Are there still other letters in modern
Ukrainian, that are new to a modern Russian?

Thanks for your patience.

Cheers,

Laurent S.