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notofonts / gurmukhi

Noto Gurmukhi
SIL Open Font License 1.1
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Noto Serif Gurmukhi is not attaching conjuncts correctly #4

Open simoncozens opened 2 years ago

simoncozens commented 2 years ago

Text: ਕ੍ਰਕ੍ਹਖ੍ਹ

shape

Looks odd - is it meant to be attached?

tiroj commented 2 years ago

This may be by design. Some typesetting systems were unable to physically connect the subscripts to the base letter in the way normally done in manuscript and in handset metal type, so the subscript sat below the letter with a small gap like this. Notably, Linotype Gurmukhi followed this in the transition from hot metal to early digital typesetting, so Punjabi readers were familiar with it from newspapers.

[The initial version of Murty Gurmukhi also had detached subscripts, but my Sikh correspondents requested that they be attached, which is what I did in the Tiro Gurmukhi release (with the detached subscripts as a variant).]

tiroj commented 2 years ago

Note that if the subscripts do attach, there are different practices with regard to the ਕ as base. Some writers/typefaces connect the subscript from the descending stroke, but that usually requires a ligature to be done smoothly in a font. Others connect below the bowl, which is what I do in Tiro Gurmukhi, using an inserted connection stroke to bridge the gap between the bowl and the subscript:

image
simoncozens commented 2 years ago

Yes, looking again at the thicknesses and directions of those strokes it looks like they were never designed to connect. But I feel like we should at least be consistent - if kra is connected, then so should kha.