Re: [css-fonts] font-language-override

On Wednesday, 1 June 2016, Levantovsky, Vladimir <
Vlaimir.Levantovsky@mvaroousonotype.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 31, 2016 11:30 AM Chris Lilley wrote:
>
> Let me amplify and restate these points:

>
>
> On 2016-05-31 06:57, Andrew Cunningham wrote:
>
> It would be fairly quick and easy for google to add support for
font-language-override
>
> Supporting font-language override would not only increase spec
compliance, it would be the path of least effort
>
> I am not sure why font-language-override is really needed, can’t a
developer simply define a span with another language tag [the one which
behavior one wants to mimic]? Won’t the end result be the same ?
>
>

Umm ... I am surprised someone would really suggest that as an option.

>
> Depending on complex mappings from @lang to OpenType lang is a lot of
work, currently being done for you by font designers. This is a duplication
of effort and a maintenance burden; just support font-language-override. It
is there for a reason.
>
> OpenType maintains its own language tag system where the mappings in most
cases are 1:1 and in some cases are n:1, but I wouldn’t consider it a
complex mapping – as far as user is concerned, there is always a
straightforward mapping from a content language tag to the OT language tag.
Changing the content language tag, e.g. by defining a span with a different
tag, should do the trick.
>
>

The mappings are 1-1, many-1, 1-many

In at least one case the many-1 mapping contains languages that have
incompatible typographic systems. So even if you use the right tag you
would need to override aspects of font rendering, which cannot be done in
css.

Also technically the OT tag isn't a language tag in the sense that a BCP
language tag is. And the OT tag doesn't specifically identify a language.

If I had mixed Latin script and Banum script in Bamum language and using
 fonts I would be wanting to use diffeent OT language systems for each font
for the same language.

Andrew

-- 
Andrew Cunningham
lang.support@gmail.com