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Welcome to the English discussion of the בײַספּיל.טעסט domain!
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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. The largest and most obvious of these is the Hebrew language. However, since English is being used for the central coordination of the IDNwiki, initial provision has also been made for it in the discussion of the Yiddish TLD. Similar support can easily be added for additional languages. You can contribute to the discussion using the language of your own choosing, as discussed in further detail below.
The inclusion of Yiddish in the evaluation
Standard Modern Yiddish orthography includes elements that present intricacies in the IDN environment which require 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 details that may reduce readability if inappropriate to the language being represented, such as the end of a 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 at http://yi.idn.icann.org/.
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. All discussion that is attached to the English article will simultaneously appear in the Yiddish viewing area, and commentary attached to the Yiddish version will be similarly visible in the English viewing area. Every article and discussion page will, however, have its own name indicating the language in which it is written. Any text will be legible when viewed through the "wrong window", but will be subject to the idiosyncratic display described above.
