nonLatinscript

Non-Latin script refers to writing systems that do not derive from the Latin alphabet. They are the primary orthographies for languages across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. Writing systems differ widely in structure: some are alphabets (Greek, Cyrillic), others are abjads (Arabic, Hebrew), abugidas (Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil), syllabaries (Japanese kana), or logographic systems (Chinese Han). Many languages use a non-Latin script as their standard script, sometimes alongside romanization for international use.

In the digital realm, non-Latin scripts are encoded in Unicode, which supplies code points for virtually all known writing systems. UTF-8 has become the dominant encoding on the web. Rendering non-Latin text often requires font shaping and ligature handling (for scripts with contextual forms), and, for languages like Arabic and Hebrew, bidirectional text processing. Input methods include on-screen keyboards and input method editors that map keystrokes to characters.

Major script families include Semitic scripts such as Arabic and Hebrew; Brahmic scripts such as Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, and Thai; Cyrillic; Greek; Hangul for Korean; and logographic Han Chinese. Some languages switch scripts or have historically shifted; examples include Turkish script reform and Mongolian script debates. The choice of script can reflect linguistic, cultural, or political factors.

Practical considerations include literacy education in non-Latin scripts, digital inclusion, and data interoperability. Transliteration and romanization are used to render names and terms across scripts. Internationalization efforts address locale data, font availability, and input constraints to support diverse scripts in software, websites, and search systems.

Challenges in non-Latin script processing include collation rules, search indexing, OCR accuracy, and font availability. Ongoing standards work in Unicode, ISO/IEC 15924 (script codes), and CLDR aims to improve interoperability and user experience for speakers of non-Latin scripts.