Research Article
The digital future of the Sogdian and Old Uyghur scripts: Developing and establishing standards for transliteration, transcription, and Unicode encoding
Abstract
The article sets out to establish clear standards for the transliteration, transcription, and Unicode-based encoding of the Old Uyghur script in digital editions. It underscores the importance of Unicode in faithfully representing the unique features of Old Uyghur characters, ensuring consistency across platforms and long-term digital accessibility. To support scholars and digital editors, the article presents an updated table that links transliteration and transcription signs with their corresponding Unicode values, paving the way for reliable and sustainable digital editions of Old Uyghur texts.
References
- Clauson, Sir. G. (2002). Studies in Turkic and Mongolic linguistics. Second Edition. London and New York: Routledge Curzon.
- Danka, B. (2023). Old Uyghur script. In Johanson, L. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Turkic Languages and Linguistics Online. Brill. (doi.org/10.1163/2667-3029_ETLO_SIM_032216)
- Fedakar, D. (1991). Das Alttürkische in sogdischer Schrift. Textmaterialien und Orthographie (Teil I). Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 10, 85-98.
- Fedakar, D. (1994). Das Alttürkische in sogdischer Schrift. Textmaterialien und Orthographie (Teil II). Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 13, 133-157.
- Gabain, A. von (1950). Alt-Türkisches Schrifttum. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
- Hamilton, J. R. (1971). Manuscrits ouïgours de Touen-Houang, le conte bouddhique du bon et du mauvais prince en version ouïgoure: Manuscrits ouïgours de Touen-Houang. Paris: Klincksieck.
- Hamilton, J. R. (1986). Manuscrits ouïgours du IXe–Xe siècle de Touen-Houang (Vols. I–II). Paris: Peeters.
- Kara, G. (1996). Aramaic scripts for Altaic languages. In Daniels, P. T. & Bright, W. (Eds.), The world’s writing systems (pp. 536–558). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Le Coq, A. von (1919). Kurze Einführung in die uigurische Schriftkunde. Mitteilungen des Seminars für Orientalische Sprachen an der Friedrich Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, Ostasiatische Studien. Jahrgang XXII, 93-108.
- Moriyasu, T. (2004). From silk, cotton and copper coin to silver. Transition of the currency used by the Uighurs during the period from the 8th to the 14th centuries. In Durkin-Meisterernst, D. et al. (Eds.), Turfan Revisited: The First Century of Research into the Arts and Cultures of the Silk Road (pp. 228-239). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag.
- Osman, O. (2013). Proposal to Encode the Uyghur Script in ISO/IEC 10646 (L2/13-071). Nagaoka University of Technology, Global Information Infrastructure Laboratory. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2N. 27 March 2013. (www.unicode.org/L2/L2013/13071-uyghur.pdf)
- Özertural, Z. & Knüppel, M. (2004). Die uigurischenTexte in sogdischer Schrift und die Vermittlung der sogdischen Schreibkultur an die Uiguren. Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 18, 149-160.
- Pandey, A. (2020). Final proposal to encode Old Uyghur in Unicode. (www.unicode.org/L2/L2020/20191-old-uyghur.pdf)
- Röhrborn, K. (2010). Uigurisches Wörterbuch: Sprachmaterial der vorislamischen türkischen Texte aus Zentralasien. Neubearbeitung, I: Verben, Band 1: ab–äzüglä-. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
- Röhrborn, K. (2016). Turkologie, Iranistik und das Uigurische Wörterbuch. In Hauenschild, I. et al. (Eds.), Eine hundertblättrige Tulpe: Bir ṣadbarg lāla. Festgabe für Claus Schönig (pp. 389–396). Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag.
- Sims-Williams, N. (1981). The Sogdian sound-system and the origins of the Uyghur script. Journal Asiatique, 269(1-2), 347-360.
- Uçar, E. (2020). Türkiye’deki Eski Uygurca Metin Neşirleri için Kullanılacak Harfçevrim ve Yazıçevrim Kılavuzu. Journal of Old Turkic Studies, 4(1), 231–250.
- Unicode Consortium. (2024). The Unicode Standard, Version 16.0, Old Uyghur Range: 10F70–10FAF. (www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode-16.0)
Die digitale Zukunft der sogdischen und altuigurischen Schrift: Entwicklung und Etablierung von Standards für Transliteration, Transkription und Unicode-Kodierung
Abstract
The article sets out to establish clear standards for the transliteration, transcription, and Unicode-based encoding of the Old Uyghur script in digital editions. It underscores the importance of Unicode in faithfully representing the unique features of Old Uyghur characters, ensuring consistency across platforms and long-term digital accessibility. To support scholars and digital editors, the article presents an updated table that links transliteration and transcription signs with their corresponding Unicode values, paving the way for reliable and sustainable digital editions of Old Uyghur texts.
References
- Clauson, Sir. G. (2002). Studies in Turkic and Mongolic linguistics. Second Edition. London and New York: Routledge Curzon.
- Danka, B. (2023). Old Uyghur script. In Johanson, L. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Turkic Languages and Linguistics Online. Brill. (doi.org/10.1163/2667-3029_ETLO_SIM_032216)
- Fedakar, D. (1991). Das Alttürkische in sogdischer Schrift. Textmaterialien und Orthographie (Teil I). Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 10, 85-98.
- Fedakar, D. (1994). Das Alttürkische in sogdischer Schrift. Textmaterialien und Orthographie (Teil II). Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 13, 133-157.
- Gabain, A. von (1950). Alt-Türkisches Schrifttum. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
- Hamilton, J. R. (1971). Manuscrits ouïgours de Touen-Houang, le conte bouddhique du bon et du mauvais prince en version ouïgoure: Manuscrits ouïgours de Touen-Houang. Paris: Klincksieck.
- Hamilton, J. R. (1986). Manuscrits ouïgours du IXe–Xe siècle de Touen-Houang (Vols. I–II). Paris: Peeters.
- Kara, G. (1996). Aramaic scripts for Altaic languages. In Daniels, P. T. & Bright, W. (Eds.), The world’s writing systems (pp. 536–558). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Le Coq, A. von (1919). Kurze Einführung in die uigurische Schriftkunde. Mitteilungen des Seminars für Orientalische Sprachen an der Friedrich Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, Ostasiatische Studien. Jahrgang XXII, 93-108.
- Moriyasu, T. (2004). From silk, cotton and copper coin to silver. Transition of the currency used by the Uighurs during the period from the 8th to the 14th centuries. In Durkin-Meisterernst, D. et al. (Eds.), Turfan Revisited: The First Century of Research into the Arts and Cultures of the Silk Road (pp. 228-239). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag.
- Osman, O. (2013). Proposal to Encode the Uyghur Script in ISO/IEC 10646 (L2/13-071). Nagaoka University of Technology, Global Information Infrastructure Laboratory. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2N. 27 March 2013. (www.unicode.org/L2/L2013/13071-uyghur.pdf)
- Özertural, Z. & Knüppel, M. (2004). Die uigurischenTexte in sogdischer Schrift und die Vermittlung der sogdischen Schreibkultur an die Uiguren. Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 18, 149-160.
- Pandey, A. (2020). Final proposal to encode Old Uyghur in Unicode. (www.unicode.org/L2/L2020/20191-old-uyghur.pdf)
- Röhrborn, K. (2010). Uigurisches Wörterbuch: Sprachmaterial der vorislamischen türkischen Texte aus Zentralasien. Neubearbeitung, I: Verben, Band 1: ab–äzüglä-. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
- Röhrborn, K. (2016). Turkologie, Iranistik und das Uigurische Wörterbuch. In Hauenschild, I. et al. (Eds.), Eine hundertblättrige Tulpe: Bir ṣadbarg lāla. Festgabe für Claus Schönig (pp. 389–396). Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag.
- Sims-Williams, N. (1981). The Sogdian sound-system and the origins of the Uyghur script. Journal Asiatique, 269(1-2), 347-360.
- Uçar, E. (2020). Türkiye’deki Eski Uygurca Metin Neşirleri için Kullanılacak Harfçevrim ve Yazıçevrim Kılavuzu. Journal of Old Turkic Studies, 4(1), 231–250.
- Unicode Consortium. (2024). The Unicode Standard, Version 16.0, Old Uyghur Range: 10F70–10FAF. (www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode-16.0)
The digital future of the Sogdian and Old Uyghur scripts: Developing and establishing standards for transliteration, transcription, and Unicode encoding
Abstract
The article sets out to establish clear standards for the transliteration, transcription, and Unicode-based encoding of the Old Uyghur script in digital editions. It underscores the importance of Unicode in faithfully representing the unique features of Old Uyghur characters, ensuring consistency across platforms and long-term digital accessibility. To support scholars and digital editors, the article presents an updated table that links transliteration and transcription signs with their corresponding Unicode values, paving the way for reliable and sustainable digital editions of Old Uyghur texts.
References
- Clauson, Sir. G. (2002). Studies in Turkic and Mongolic linguistics. Second Edition. London and New York: Routledge Curzon.
- Danka, B. (2023). Old Uyghur script. In Johanson, L. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Turkic Languages and Linguistics Online. Brill. (doi.org/10.1163/2667-3029_ETLO_SIM_032216)
- Fedakar, D. (1991). Das Alttürkische in sogdischer Schrift. Textmaterialien und Orthographie (Teil I). Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 10, 85-98.
- Fedakar, D. (1994). Das Alttürkische in sogdischer Schrift. Textmaterialien und Orthographie (Teil II). Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 13, 133-157.
- Gabain, A. von (1950). Alt-Türkisches Schrifttum. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
- Hamilton, J. R. (1971). Manuscrits ouïgours de Touen-Houang, le conte bouddhique du bon et du mauvais prince en version ouïgoure: Manuscrits ouïgours de Touen-Houang. Paris: Klincksieck.
- Hamilton, J. R. (1986). Manuscrits ouïgours du IXe–Xe siècle de Touen-Houang (Vols. I–II). Paris: Peeters.
- Kara, G. (1996). Aramaic scripts for Altaic languages. In Daniels, P. T. & Bright, W. (Eds.), The world’s writing systems (pp. 536–558). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Le Coq, A. von (1919). Kurze Einführung in die uigurische Schriftkunde. Mitteilungen des Seminars für Orientalische Sprachen an der Friedrich Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, Ostasiatische Studien. Jahrgang XXII, 93-108.
- Moriyasu, T. (2004). From silk, cotton and copper coin to silver. Transition of the currency used by the Uighurs during the period from the 8th to the 14th centuries. In Durkin-Meisterernst, D. et al. (Eds.), Turfan Revisited: The First Century of Research into the Arts and Cultures of the Silk Road (pp. 228-239). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag.
- Osman, O. (2013). Proposal to Encode the Uyghur Script in ISO/IEC 10646 (L2/13-071). Nagaoka University of Technology, Global Information Infrastructure Laboratory. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2N. 27 March 2013. (www.unicode.org/L2/L2013/13071-uyghur.pdf)
- Özertural, Z. & Knüppel, M. (2004). Die uigurischenTexte in sogdischer Schrift und die Vermittlung der sogdischen Schreibkultur an die Uiguren. Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher Neue Folge, 18, 149-160.
- Pandey, A. (2020). Final proposal to encode Old Uyghur in Unicode. (www.unicode.org/L2/L2020/20191-old-uyghur.pdf)
- Röhrborn, K. (2010). Uigurisches Wörterbuch: Sprachmaterial der vorislamischen türkischen Texte aus Zentralasien. Neubearbeitung, I: Verben, Band 1: ab–äzüglä-. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
- Röhrborn, K. (2016). Turkologie, Iranistik und das Uigurische Wörterbuch. In Hauenschild, I. et al. (Eds.), Eine hundertblättrige Tulpe: Bir ṣadbarg lāla. Festgabe für Claus Schönig (pp. 389–396). Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag.
- Sims-Williams, N. (1981). The Sogdian sound-system and the origins of the Uyghur script. Journal Asiatique, 269(1-2), 347-360.
- Uçar, E. (2020). Türkiye’deki Eski Uygurca Metin Neşirleri için Kullanılacak Harfçevrim ve Yazıçevrim Kılavuzu. Journal of Old Turkic Studies, 4(1), 231–250.
- Unicode Consortium. (2024). The Unicode Standard, Version 16.0, Old Uyghur Range: 10F70–10FAF. (www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode-16.0)
There are 18 citations in total.
Details
| Primary Language | German |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Linguistics (Other) |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Early Pub Date | August 17, 2025 |
| Publication Date | August 18, 2025 |
| Submission Date | August 10, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | August 12, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 |
