Re: OT: YAGTT

2008/7/29 Ph. D. <phil@...>

> The image you posted appears to have been set
> on a Linotype. Notice how the crossbar on the f
> and the bottom serif have been lengthened, so
> the top loop doesn't overlap the next letter.

Yes, I noticed that too.


> Actually, it's hand-set type which has kerns that
> can break off.

So the question remains, what happens in a font that actually does have
kerns?

Also, to take this further adrift: Traditional German orthography has a rule
that simpifies triple letters to double, as in Schiffahrt = Schiff-fahrt --
is this based in handwriting or in a reluctance of printers to create the
fff ligature that would be needed?

Swedish (whose orthography was influenced by German printers) has the same
rule, which I find very disruptive -- for instance every time I see the word
äggula (= ägg-gula = egg yolk). I parse it as ägg-ula and experience an
unknown morpheme interrupt, so I have to back up and start over. I would
probably have the same experience with German words like Schiffahrt if I
lived there.

But then I only started reading Swedish on a daily basis at the age of 46.
Does it help if you learned reading with the system?

Lars

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