2009-12-17 Character Mapping
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Character Mapping
There is no standardized character mapping of the tengwar. However, a Unicode standardization has been proposed. The Free Tengwar Font Project largely follows Michael Everson’s 2001-03-07 tengwar discussion paper for that proposal. That discussion paper assigns the tengwar to the Unicode Private Use Area characters U+e000 – U+e07d.
Everson’s 2001-03-07 discussion paper introduces a number of changes from an earlier proposal. Therefore, the Free Tengwar Font Project is not compatible with James Kass’s Code2000 font. However, it is compatible with Johan Winge’s Tengwar Telcontar font.
The Free Tengwar Font Project diverges in some details from Everson’s 2001-03-07 discussion paper. Some of these differences were first proposed by Johan Winge, see tengtelc-discussion-007.pdf.
This page does not claim to be authoritative or complete or anything. It only serves as an overview on the Free Tengwar Font Project’s current character mapping, and as a brief explanation why this mapping was chosen. This mapping is very likely to change in the future.
Mapping Table
On some browsers, this table may not be displayed properly unless you have a suitable font installed. Since some browser don’t display properly the tehtar, they are placed on a dotted circle (◌). The tengwar names and the characters’ Unicode numbers will show up when you keep the mouse pointer over a table cell.
The characters added in addition to Everson’s 2001-03-07 discussion paper are highlighted with a green background. A gray background highlights character of Everson’s discussion paper that we deem deprecated.
| e00x | e01x | e02x | e03x | e04x | e05x | e06x | e07x | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xxx0 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx1 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx2 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx3 | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | | |
| xxx4 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx5 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx6 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx7 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxx8 | | | | | ◌ | | | |
| xxx9 | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxxa | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | | |
| xxxb | | | | | ◌ | | | |
| xxxc | | | | | ◌ | | | |
| xxxd | | | | | ◌ | ◌ | ||
| xxxe | | | | ◌ | ||||
| xxxf | | | ◌ |
Here is the same table shown as a picture, in case your browser does not display the above table correctly:
Characters List
| hex | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| U+e000 | TENGWAR LETTER TINCO | |
| U+e001 | TENGWAR LETTER PARMA | |
| U+e002 | TENGWAR LETTER CALMA | |
| U+e003 | TENGWAR LETTER QUESSE | |
| U+e004 | TENGWAR LETTER ANDO | |
| U+e005 | TENGWAR LETTER UMBAR | |
| U+e006 | TENGWAR LETTER ANGA | |
| U+e007 | TENGWAR LETTER UNGWE | |
| U+e008 | TENGWAR LETTER THUULE (suule) | |
| U+e009 | TENGWAR LETTER FORMEN | |
| U+e00a | TENGWAR LETTER HARMA (aha) | |
| U+e00b | TENGWAR LETTER HWESTA | |
| U+e00c | TENGWAR LETTER ANTO | |
| U+e00d | TENGWAR LETTER AMPA | |
| U+e00e | TENGWAR LETTER ANCA | |
| U+e00f | TENGWAR LETTER UNQUE | |
| U+e010 | TENGWAR LETTER NUUMEN | |
| U+e011 | TENGWAR LETTER MALTA | |
| U+e012 | TENGWAR LETTER NOLDO (ngoldo) | |
| U+e013 | TENGWAR LETTER NWALME (ngwalme) | |
| U+e014 | TENGWAR LETTER OORE | |
| U+e015 | TENGWAR LETTER VALA | |
| U+e016 | TENGWAR LETTER ANNA | |
| U+e017 | TENGWAR LETTER VILYA (wilya) | |
| U+e018 | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED TINCO | |
| U+e019 | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED PARMA | |
| U+e01a | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED CALMA | |
| U+e01b | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED QUESSE | |
| U+e01c | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED ANDO | |
| U+e01d | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED UMBAR | |
| U+e01e | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED ANGA | |
| U+e01f | TENGWAR LETTER EXTENDED UNGWE | |
| U+e020 | TENGWAR LETTER ROOMEN | |
| U+e021 | TENGWAR LETTER ARDA | |
| U+e022 | TENGWAR LETTER LAMBE | |
| U+e023 | TENGWAR LETTER ALDA | |
| U+e024 | TENGWAR LETTER SILME | |
| U+e025 | TENGWAR LETTER SILME NUQUERNA | |
| U+e026 | TENGWAR LETTER AARE (aaze, esse) | |
| U+e027 | TENGWAR LETTER AARE NUQUERNA (aaze n., esse n.) | |
| U+e028 | TENGWAR LETTER HYARMEN | |
| U+e029 | TENGWAR LETTER HWESTA SINDARINWA | |
| U+e02a | TENGWAR LETTER YANTA | |
| U+e02b | TENGWAR LETTER UURE | |
| U+e02c | TENGWAR LETTER LONG CARRIER | |
| U+e02d | TENGWAR LETTER HALLA | |
| U+e02e | TENGWAR LETTER SHORT CARRIER | |
| U+e02f | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e030 | TENGWAR LETTER REVERSED OSSE | |
| U+e031 | TENGWAR LETTER BOMBADIL W | |
| U+e032 | TENGWAR LETTER OSSE | |
| U+e033 | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e034 | TENGWAR LETTER LIGATING SHORT CARRIER | |
| U+e035 | TENGWAR SIGN ANNA SINDARINWA | |
| U+e036 | TENGWAR LETTER OPEN ANNA | |
| U+e037 | TENGWAR LETTER CHRISTOPHER QU | |
| U+e038 | TENGWAR LETTER REVERSED FORMEN | |
| U+e039 | TENGWAR LETTER BOMBADIL HW | |
| U+e03a | TENGWAR LETTER MH | |
| U+e03b | TENGWAR LETTER BELERIANDIC MH | |
| U+e03c | TENGWAR LETTER LOWDHAM HW | |
| U+e03d | TENGWAR LETTER VAIYA | |
| U+e03e | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e03f | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e040 | TENGWAR SIGN THREE DOTS ABOVE | ◌ |
| U+e041 | TENGWAR SIGN THREE DOTS BELOW | ◌ |
| U+e042 | TENGWAR SIGN TWO DOTS ABOVE | ◌ |
| U+e043 | TENGWAR SIGN TWO DOTS BELOW | ◌ |
| U+e044 | TENGWAR SIGN AMATIXE (dot above) | ◌ |
| U+e045 | TENGWAR SIGN UNUTIXE (dot below) | ◌ |
| U+e046 | TENGWAR SIGN ACUTE (andaith, long mark, tecco) | ◌ |
| U+e047 | TENGWAR SIGN ACUTE BELOW | ◌ |
| U+e048 | TENGWAR SIGN DOUBLE ACUTE | ◌ |
| U+e049 | TENGWAR SIGN DOUBLE ACUTE BELOW | ◌ |
| U+e04a | TENGWAR SIGN RIGHT CURL | ◌ |
| U+e04b | TENGWAR SIGN RIGHT CURL BELOW | ◌ |
| U+e04c | TENGWAR SIGN LEFT CURL | ◌ |
| U+e04d | TENGWAR SIGN LEFT CURL BELOW | ◌ |
| U+e04e | TENGWAR SIGN DOUBLE RIGHT CURL | ◌ |
| U+e04f | TENGWAR SIGN DOUBLE LEFT CURL | ◌ |
| U+e050 | TENGWAR SIGN NASALIZER | ◌ |
| U+e051 | TENGWAR SIGN DOUBLER | ◌ |
| U+e052 | TENGWAR SIGN TILDE | ◌ |
| U+e053 | TENGWAR SIGN BREVE | ◌ |
| U+e054 | TENGWAR SIGN GRAVE | ◌ |
| U+e055 | TENGWAR SIGN YANTA ABOVE | ◌ |
| U+e056 | TENGWAR SIGN THREE INVERTED DOTS ABOVE | ◌ |
| U+e057 | TENGWAR SIGN THINNAS | ◌ |
| U+e058 | TENGWAR SIGN SA-RINCE ENDING | |
| U+e059 | TENGWAR SIGN COMBINING SA-RINCE | ◌ |
| U+e05a | TENGWAR SIGN DOT INSIDE | ◌ |
| U+e05b | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e05c | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e05d | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e05e | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e05f | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e060 | TENGWAR PUSTA (putta, stop) | |
| U+e061 | TENGWAR DOUBLE PUSTA (putta) | |
| U+e062 | TENGWAR TRIPLE PUSTA (putta) | |
| U+e063 | TENGWAR QUADRUPLE PUSTA (putta) | |
| U+e064 | TENGWAR QUINTUPLE PUSTA (putta) | |
| U+e065 | TENGWAR EXCLAMATION MARK | |
| U+e066 | TENGWAR QUESTION MARK | |
| U+e067 | TENGWAR PARENTHESIS MARK | |
| U+e068 | TENGWAR SECTION MARK | |
| U+e069 | TENGWAR DOUBLE SECTION MARK | |
| U+e06a | TENGWAR LEFT QUOTATION MARK | |
| U+e06b | TENGWAR RIGHT QUOTATION MARK | |
| U+e06c | TENGWAR THORIN EXCLAMATION MARK | |
| U+e06d | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e06e | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e06f | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e070 | TENGWAR DIGIT ZERO | |
| U+e071 | TENGWAR DIGIT ONE | |
| U+e072 | TENGWAR DIGIT TWO | |
| U+e073 | TENGWAR DIGIT THREE | |
| U+e074 | TENGWAR DIGIT FOUR | |
| U+e075 | TENGWAR DIGIT FIVE | |
| U+e076 | TENGWAR DIGIT SIX | |
| U+e077 | TENGWAR DIGIT SEVEN | |
| U+e078 | TENGWAR DIGIT EIGHT | |
| U+e079 | TENGWAR DIGIT NINE | |
| U+e07a | TENGWAR DUODECIMAL DIGIT TEN | |
| U+e07b | TENGWAR DUODECIMAL DIGIT ELEVEN | |
| U+e07c | TENGWAR DUODECIMAL DIGIT TWELVE | |
| U+e07d | TENGWAR DUODECIMAL DIGIT LEAST SIGNIFICANT DIGIT MARK | ◌ |
| U+e07e | (This position shall not be used) | |
| U+e07f | (This position shall not be used) |
Differences from Michael Everson’s 2001-03-07 Discussion Paper
This is a brief overview on the differences. For more detailed discussions, see Johan Winge’s tengtelc-discussion-007.pdf, or the discussions at the Tengwestaron mailing list.
- U+e030: TENGWAR LETTER REVERSED OSSE ()
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 78.
- U+e031: TENGWAR LETTER BOMBADIL W ()
- The previous name STEMLESS VALA interprets this sign as being related to the tengwa vala. The name BOMBADIL W tries to be less interpretative and more descriptive.
- U+e032: TENGWAR LETTER OSSE ()
- The name OSSE is attested in DTS 65.
- U+e035: TENGWAR LETTER ANNA SINDARINWA ()
- This sign has been marked as deprecated because it nothing more than a glyph variant of U+e016: TENGWAR LETTER ANNA ().
- U+e037: TENGWAR LETTER CHRISTOPHER QU ()
- The previous name REVERSED PARMA does not correctly describe this tengwa. Instead, this sign rather resembles a “Pre-Fëanorian” sign for QU attested in PF 14 and PF 16 – as observed by Johan Winge. The name CHRISTOPHER QU is just an attempt to be more descriptive.
- U+e038: TENGWAR LETTER REVERSED FORMEN ()
- This sign has been marked as deprecated because it can be considered a glyph variant of U+e029: TENGWAR LETTER HWESTA SINDARINWA ().
- U+e039: TENGWAR LETTER BOMBADIL HW ()
- The previous name TALL STEMLESS VALA interprets this sign as being related to the tengwa vala. The name BOMBADIL HW tries to be less interpretative and more descriptive.
- U+e03b: TENGWAR LETTER BELERIANDIC MH ()
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 31.
- U+e03c: TENGWAR LETTER LOWDHAM HW ()
- This sign has been added because it is not clear whether it really constitutes a ligature of halla and rómen. It might also be a form of rómen with raised stem.
- U+e03d: TENGWAR LETTER VAIYA ()
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 65.
- Amatixe and Unutixe: U+e044 (◌) and U+e045 (◌)
- The names AMATIXE and UNUTIXe are attested in DTS 65, while the previous name NUNTIKSE has been an editorial misreading.
- U+e047: TENGWAR SIGN ACUTE BELOW (◌)
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 51.
- Doubled tehtar: U+e048 (◌), U+e04e (◌), U+e04f (◌)
- These signs have been marked as deprecated because they can be considered mere sequences of single tehtar.
- U+e057: TENGWAR SIGN THINNAS (◌)
- The name THINNAS is attested in DTS 65. The previous name LONG CARRIER BELOW might point to a different, yet similar sign. A long carrier below, however, may be achieved with U+200d: ZERO-WIDTH JOINER.
- U+e058: TENGWAR SIGN SA-RINCE ENDING ()
- This sign has been added because it is not clear whether it really constitutes a ligating form of silme. In many words, it would not correspond to silme at all, but to esse.
- U+e059: TENGWAR SIGN COMBINING SA-RINCE (◌)
- This sign may contrast with U+e058: TENGWAR SIGN SA-RINCE ENDING.
- U+e05a: TENGWAR SIGN DOT INSIDE (◌)
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 71 and in DTS 78.
- Dotted tengwar punctuation marks: U+e060 (), U+e061 (), U+e062 (), U+e063 (), U+e064 ()
- These signs have been marked as deprecated because instead of them, existing Unicode punctuation marks shall be used. This means the following punctuation marks:
- U+2e31: WORD SEPARATOR MIDDLE DOT (⸱)
- U+003a: COLON (:)
- U+205d: TRICOLON (⁝)
- U+2058: FOUR DOT PUNCTUATION (⁘)
- U+2e2d: FIVE DOT MARK (⸭)
Additionally, there are two more Unicode punctuation marks that shall be used together with the tengwar:
- U+2e2c: SQUARED FOUR DOT PUNCTUATION (⸬)
- U+10fb: GEORGIAN PARAGRAPH SEPARATOR (჻)
- U+e06a: TENGWAR LEFT QUOTATION MARK ()
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 51.
- U+e06b: TENGWAR RIGHT QUOTATION MARK ()
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 51.
- U+e06c: TENGWAR THORIN EXCLAMATION MARK ()
- This sign has been added because it has been attested in DTS 71.