Introduction

Preliminary remarks

The Yiddish facet of the example.test evaluation is expected to be of interest to communities that do not generally read Yiddish, but use the Hebrew script for other languages. Since English is being used for the central coordination of the IDNwiki, provision has also been made for its use in the specific discussion of the Yiddish TLD, and you can contribute to that discussion using the language of your own choosing. There are a few technical details that you may also wish to note about the interposing of languages that are written right-to-left with those written left-to right but, as they are of no fundamental importance to your ability to participate in the evaluation, they have all been placed in a separate section.

The inclusion of Yiddish in the evaluation

Standard Modern Yiddish orthography includes elements that present intricacies in the IDN environment which require technical testing but are not likely to appear in the IDN character repertoire needed for the Hebrew language — the most obvious alternative written with the same basic script. The issues involved in determining a Yiddish IDN repertoire are described in detail in a document produced by two TLDs that have their centers of operation in Sweden (.MUSEUM, and .SE), where Yiddish is a legally recognized minority language: http://about.museum/idn/museum-se-yiddish-30.pdf. Further details of the way in which the suite of example.test names was derived are found in an initial proposal for the evaluation of top-level domains with localized labels, at http://icann.org/topics/idn/idn-test-labels.pdf, and in the final plan for the project as it is now being conducted, at http://icann.org/topics/idn/idn-evaluation-plan-v2-9-2-14aug07.pdf.

Since the Yiddish character repertoire subsumes everything that is expected to be needed for the similar support of Hebrew, the present facet of the IDNwiki may be suitable for use by both speech communities. The assumptions that are being made about the IDN requirements of the latter language are, for example, welcome topics for discussion here. The consideration of IDN-specific details of any other languages written with the Hebrew script can be accommodated in the same manner. If there are topics for which the use of English is not appropriate, a separate localized discussion forum can be provided in any language for which interest is indicated, and where a moderator can be recruited from within the designated speech community.

Format

There is one inconvenience that needs to be accepted when intermingling contributions in scripts written right-to-left and those written left-to-right. The wiki software attaches several different directional properties to each. These include both innocuous detail such as whether the text is flush with the left or right side of the page, and characteristics that may reduce readability if inappropriate to the language being represented, such as the end of the sentence at which it is punctuated. The Yiddish area of the IDNwiki is configured for text written right to left, and material presented in English requires special formatting to override that format. To avoid individual need for dealing with such technical issues, an alternate viewing and editing environment has been provided for participants who prefer to use English and can be accessed at http://yi.idn.icann.org/.

All discussion that is attached to either an English or a Yiddish article will appear in the sidebar list of recent changes in both viewing areas. Any text will be legible when viewed through the "wrong window", but subject to the idiosyncratic display described above. (The present article has been specially formatted to appear properly in both viewing environments, and the mark-up can be seen by clicking on the "edit" tab at the top of the page.)

Formal introductory text

A core introductory text has been posted in all of the languages that correspond to example.test names. Using the dual addressing just described, the version adapted for Yiddish is also available in English.