There are a lot of top-to-bottom languages in Asia. Some chinese languages for example are traditionally written top to bottom.
Bidirectional text only really occurs when mixing languages, like in the example above where RTL Hebrew is mixed with LTR English (or in this case specifically LTR file paths that have originally been created in the context of an LTR language and thus are LTR).
If there was actual TTB language support in Windows Explorer, and you had a file path incorporating both TTB file names and LTR file endings and drive letters, then you’d also have the same issue with mixing LTR and RTL, only that you are now mixing writing directions in two dimensions.
But I’m guessing even though Unicode’s stated goal is to encode all writing, TTB is probably where they drew the line.
Bidirectional text only really occurs when mixing languages
And also any time numbers are used in RTL text*, which is pretty common. Besides, you might be surprised how often English words or acronyms are used in everyday texts. If there’s a news story covering the American FBI, there’s no way to avoid writing it as “FBI”, in Latin letters.
There are a lot of top-to-bottom languages in Asia. Some chinese languages for example are traditionally written top to bottom.
But is that how it’s rendered by default when typed into a computer, for example into Notepad? Or into a chatting app like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.? To my knowledge, they are rendered horizontally unless the software is specifically configured to render them TTB.
But I’m guessing even though Unicode’s stated goal is to encode all writing, TTB is probably where they drew the line.
I believe there actually are a few TTB properties in the Unicode database.
* except that one language that also uses RTL digits. I don’t remember its name or where it’s used, but it exists.
There are a lot of top-to-bottom languages in Asia. Some chinese languages for example are traditionally written top to bottom.
Bidirectional text only really occurs when mixing languages, like in the example above where RTL Hebrew is mixed with LTR English (or in this case specifically LTR file paths that have originally been created in the context of an LTR language and thus are LTR).
If there was actual TTB language support in Windows Explorer, and you had a file path incorporating both TTB file names and LTR file endings and drive letters, then you’d also have the same issue with mixing LTR and RTL, only that you are now mixing writing directions in two dimensions.
But I’m guessing even though Unicode’s stated goal is to encode all writing, TTB is probably where they drew the line.
And also any time numbers are used in RTL text*, which is pretty common. Besides, you might be surprised how often English words or acronyms are used in everyday texts. If there’s a news story covering the American FBI, there’s no way to avoid writing it as “FBI”, in Latin letters.
But is that how it’s rendered by default when typed into a computer, for example into Notepad? Or into a chatting app like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.? To my knowledge, they are rendered horizontally unless the software is specifically configured to render them TTB.
I believe there actually are a few TTB properties in the Unicode database.
* except that one language that also uses RTL digits. I don’t remember its name or where it’s used, but it exists.