Discusses problems of information distortion resulting from romanization (i.e., representation of nonroman scripts in Latin characters) and modifications of USMARC format to support nonroman scripts in library catalogs. Efforts to develop a universal character set and its potential effects on USMARC are considered. (45 references) (MES)

Explains the development of standardized coding for digital text, especially for multilingual text, that has culminated in the Unicode standard. Topics include the University of Michigan's Humanities Text Initiative (HTI); a history of character sets; transliteration; non-Roman languages; fonts; and barriers to adoption of the Unicode standard. A…

Facts on the grammar of Kazakh, spoken in Kazakhstan, are presented. They are intended as a guide, not an instructional text. Information is presented in the form of notes and word lists on the following topics: orthography (the Cyrillic alphabet, spelling reform, stylistic and dialectal alternations, common misspellings, and homographs);…

A convenient and user-friendly method for computer-based second-language instruction (especially exotic-alphabet languages) presents a "pool" of text chunks from which the student uses a mouse to select and drag the chunks to form answers. Several types of feedback, including edit markup, may be selected; revision consists of rearranging, adding,…

The Romanization of Yiddish in Hebraica cataloging is problematic; inconsistencies are found in machine-readable catalog (MARC) records of various bibliographic utilities. The article describes insufficiencies in the Library of Congress's Romanization table and disparate systems used in transliterating Yiddish dictionaries. Solutions may include…

Examines whether mnemonic strategies can be successfully applied to the learning of a non-Roman foreign-language alphabet. Students were given materials presenting Russian letters and their English sounds on each page. Beneath each letter was a mnemonic. Findings indicate that these strategies enhance the learning speed of non-Roman…

Discusses bibliographic access to documents in nonroman scripts and the need for standards for the way different scripts are encoded for data processing. A microcomputer-based system that transliterates Cyrillic text to a romanized version and back to Cyrillic is proposed. (10 references) (MES)

Describes software solutions in the recent efforts of ALEPH, Israel's research library network, to create an online catalog system that could support the Roman, Hebrew, Arabic, and Cyrillic alphabets. The result is a multiscript, bidirectional system that uses soft fonts. (BEW)

The native languages of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia are reviewed in this brief summary of Indochinese refugee characteristics. General background information on each country is followed by a description of the linguistic diversity of the area and a chart showing the three principal linguistic families: Austroasiatic, Tai, and Sino-Tibetan. A…

Language and literacy issues in India are reviewed in terms of background, steps taken to combat illiteracy, and some problems associated with literacy. The following facts are noted: India has 106 languages spoken by more than 685 million people, there are several minor script systems, a major language has different dialects, a language may use…

Discusses the processing of Arabic materials at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Saudi Arabia) library and describes the creation of an Arabic online catalog that supplements the catalog for non-Arabic materials. User needs are reviewed, library automation is discussed, and search strategies in the Arabic catalog are described.…

The 18 papers presented at this conference address national information policies, information for industry, and electronic publishing. The titles of the papers are as follows: (1) "Industrial Information Policies of Developing Countries" (keynote address, Sung Jin Choi); (2) "National Information Policy. Current Trends and…

It is generally accepted in the library world that an automated catalog means more accessible data for patrons, greater productivity for librarians, and an improvement in the sharing of bibliographic data among libraries. While the desirability of automation is not a controversial issue, some aspects of automating remain problematic. This article…