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Appendix B

RENDERING ETHIOPIAN SCRIPT AT KEY ENTRY LEVEL

1. Each character in the Ethiopian Script cannot be represented on a Latin keyboard since the number of characters exceeds that of the keys aviable from the keyboard. Thus, an input method is required to map the Latin key(s) entered onto a corresponding Ethiopian character.

At entry level all of the syllables, except the Sixth Order (Sadiss-bate) syllables, are treated as "Sixth Order+Ethiopian Vowel" pairs and each pair is mapped to the appropriately coded character. (The Sixth Order consonant letters do not require a vowel key and can be treated as they are.) Such treatment may also be applied to serve transliteration purposes.

2. The Sixth Order (Sadiss-bate) letters are shown in the key mapping table following the table below. The set of Orders and and their recommended compose sequences (see also Appendix A) are as shown:

English Name      Traditional Name   Compose Sequence      Column in Ethiopian Table

First  Order      Ge'ez-bate                +e                       1
Second Order      Ka'b-bate                 +u                       2
Third  Order      Salise-bate               +i                       3 
Fourth Order      Rab'-bate                 +a                       4
Fifth  Order      Hamiss-bate               +E                       5
Sixth  Order      Sadiss-bate            (default)                   6
Seventh Order     Sab'-bate                 +o                       7

Labiovelar Extended Forms

Eighth Order      Ge'ez-Dikala-bate         +We                      1
Ninth  Order      Ka'b-Dikala-bate          +Wu / +W                 2
Tenth  Order      Salise-Dikala-bate        +Wi                      3
Eleventh Order    Rab'-Dikala-bate          +Wa                      4   [ or 8th* ]
Twelth Order      Hamiss-Dikala-bate        +WE                      5

* for consonant series with only 8 forms.

ETHIOPIAN SCRIPT KEYBOARD LAYOUT

The Ethiopian keyboard layout features the Sixth Order (Sadiss-bate) characters, Ethiopian punctuation marks, Latin punctuation marks, and Latin numbers. A one-to-one mapping to the Latin keyboard layout is applied and leaves none of the Sixth Order letters unassigned. Ethiopian numbers are treated independently of Latin numbers, but mapped to Latin numbers as needed. The pipe, ``|'', in the table indicates the mapping is made to the corresponding Latin uppercase character.

KEYBOARD LAYOUT (Ethiopian script keyboard layout with respect to Latin-1)

HEX NAME                         ETHIOPIAN KEYBOARD LAYOUT

0020   SPACE                    = 1200 ETHIOPIAN SPACE
                                | 1201 ETHIOPIAN WORDSPACE
0021   EXCLAMATION MARK        <=
0022   QUOTATION MARK          <=
0023   NUMBER SIGN             <=
0024   DOLLAR SIGN             <=
0025   PERCENT SIGN            <=
0026   AMPERSAND               <=
0027   APOSTROPHE              <=
0028   LEFT PARENTHESIS        <=
0029   RIGHT PARENTHESIS       <=
002A   ASTERISK                <=
002B   PLUS SIGN               <=
002C   COMMA                    = 1202 ETHIOPIAN COMMA
002D   HYPHEN-MINUS            <=
002E   PERIOD                   = 1205 ETHIOPIAN PERIOD
002F   SOLIDUS                 <=
0030   DIGIT ZERO              <=
0031   DIGIT ONE                = 120B ETHIOPIAN DIGIT ONE
0032   DIGIT TWO                = 120C ETHIOPIAN DIGIT TWO
0033   DIGIT THREE              = 120D ETHIOPIAN DIGIT THREE
0034   DIGIT FOUR               = 120E ETHIOPIAN DIGIT FOUR
0035   DIGIT FIVE               = 120F ETHIOPIAN DIGIT FIVE
0036   DIGIT SIX                = 1210 ETHIOPIAN DIGIT SIX
005C   REVERSE SOLIDUS         <=
005D   RIGHT SQUARE BRACKET    <=
005E   CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT       <=
005F   LOW LINE                <=
0060   GRAVE ACCENT            <=
0061   LATIN SMALL LETTER A     = 12C0 ETHIOPIAN AE
                                |      ETHIOPIAN A
0062   LATIN SMALL LETTER B     = 1285 ETHIOPIAN B
                                | 1285 ETHIOPIAN B
0063   LATIN SMALL LETTER C     = 129D ETHIOPIAN C
                                | 134D ETHIOPIAN C
0064   LATIN SMALL LETTER D     = 1315 ETHIOPIAN D
                                | 131D ETHIOPIAN D
0065   LATIN SMALL LETTER E     = 12C0 ETHIOPIAN AE
                                | 12C4 ETHIOPIAN EE
0066   LATIN SMALL LETTER F     = 136D ETHIOPIAN F
                                | 136D ETHIOPIAN F
0067   LATIN SMALL LETTER G     = 132D ETHIOPIAN G
                                | 133D ETHIOPIAN GH
0068   LATIN SMALL LETTER H     = 1225 ETHIOPIAN H
                                | 1235 ETHIOPIAN HH
0069   LATIN SMALL LETTER I     = 12C2 ETHIOPIAN I
                                | 12C5 ETHIOPIAN E 
006A   LATIN SMALL LETTER J     = 1325 ETHIOPIAN J
                                | 1325 ETHIOPIAN J
006B   LATIN SMALL LETTER K     = 12CD ETHIOPIAN K
                                | 12DD ETHIOPIAN KX
006C   LATIN SMALL LETTER L     = 122D ETHIOPIAN L
                                | 122D ETHIOPIAN L
006D   LATIN SMALL LETTER M     = 123D ETHIOPIAN M
                                | 123D ETHIOPIAN M
006E   LATIN SMALL LETTER N     = 12B5 ETHIOPIAN N
                                | 12BD ETHIOPIAN NY
006F   LATIN SMALL LETTER O     = 12C6 ETHIOPIAN O
                                | 12C6 ETHIOPIAN O
0070   LATIN SMALL LETTER P     = 1375 ETHIOPIAN P
                                | 1355 ETHIOPIAN PH
0071   LATIN SMALL LETTER Q     = 1265 ETHIOPIAN Q
                                | 1275 ETHIOPIAN QH
0072   LATIN SMALL LETTER R     = 124D ETHIOPIAN R
                                | 124D ETHIOPIAN R
0073   LATIN SMALL LETTER S     = 1255 ETHIOPIAN S
                                | 135D ETHIOPIAN TS
0074   LATIN SMALL LETTER T     = 1295 ETHIOPIAN T
                                | 1345 ETHIOPIAN TH
0075   LATIN SMALL LETTER U     = 121C ETHIOPIAN U
                                | 121C ETHIOPIAN U
0076   LATIN SMALL LETTER V     = 128D ETHIOPIAN V
                                | 128D ETHIOPIAN V
0077   LATIN SMALL LETTER W     = 12ED ETHIOPIAN W
0078   LATIN SMALL LETTER X     = 125D ETHIOPIAN SH
                                | 125D ETHIOPIAN SH
0079   LATIN SMALL LETTER Y     = 130D ETHIOPIAN Y
                                | 130D ETHIOPIAN Y
007A   LATIN SMALL LETTER Z     = 12FD ETHIOPIAN Z
                                | 1205 ETHIOPIAN ZH
007B   LEFT CURLY BRACKET      <=
007C   VERTICAL LINE           <=
007D   RIGHT CURLY BRACKET     <=
007E   TILDE                   <=