tables-06b.txt: A.8 Gershayim

[Kenneth Whistler]

Patrik,

With my general concerns about the pseudo-code
out of the way, I'll now take up the issue of
how to express the rule set for A.8. HEBREW PUNCTUATION
GERSHAYIM.

Currently, the relevant parts of the Appendix state:

Overview:
   The script of the preceding character and the subsequent
   character, if any, MUST be Hebrew.
...
Rule Set:
   False;
   If Script(Before(cp)) .eq.  Hebrew And
      LastChar .eq. cp Then True;
      If Script(Before(cp)) .eq.  Hebrew And
         Script(After(cp)) .eq.  Hebrew Then True;
         
First let's consider what the appropriate context for
the gershayim are in ordinary Hebrew text usage.

The gershayim are used to indicate that a word is to
be read as an acronym, rather than as a regular word.
Its position in the acronym is between the next-to-last
and the last letters of the non-inflected form of the
acronym. What that means is that it will be preceded
by one or more letters, and will be followed by at
least one letter (and possibly more, if the acronym is
inflected). But it shouldn't occur at the beginning or
end of a word.

The gershayim are also used to mark numerical usage of
Hebrew letters, but in the case where a number is
represented by two or more Hebrew numerals. So again,
in that case, it would be internal to the numeral,
and not at the beginning or end.

Then there is a usage to indicate transliteration of
a foreign word -- but again the position is word-internal,
between the next-to-last and the last character of the
word.