Syllabic Languages On Smartphones

How do highly syllabic languages work on smartphones today? This is a bigger research effort than I have time for right now so I asked ChatGPT. This post begins with ChatGPT 4’s summary, suggested videos, and then a more detailed breakdown. The videos highlight system level custom keyboard implementations for syllabic languages including Japanese, Korean and Cherokee. After we gain experience developing user input systems for the Ancient Maya App we’ll have to consider implementing a system level custom keyboard. Below is the text from ChatGPT, with my prompts in italics.

TL;DR Summary:

• Japanese (Hiragana/Katakana): Uses a ‘flick’ input system on smartphones with a 12-key layout. Each key represents a group of characters, and users flick in different directions to choose specific characters. Japanese Flick Keyboard Demo.
• Korean (Hangul): Employs a modified QWERTY layout or ‘flick’ method. Characters are typed to form syllabic blocks, with predictive text features for efficiency. Korean Hangul Keyboard Demo.
• Cherokee: Uses a standard keyboard layout with the Cherokee syllabary. Each key represents a syllable. Cherokee Syllabary Keyboard Demo.
• Ethiopian (Ge’ez): Typically has a keyboard layout grouping characters by base consonant with vowel modifiers, though no specific demo video was found.
• Burmese: Involves a virtual keyboard mimicking the physical Burmese keyboard layout, with characters combining into syllables, but no specific demo video was found.

I want to compare and contrast the ancient Mayan writing system with other systems and use today. Like some of today’s Asian and Pacific Island languages, the Mayans system is very syllabic. This is reflected in the ancient Mayan writing system which records syllables rather than phonemes. What are some examples of writing systems for modern languages that do this?

The ancient Mayan writing system, known for recording syllables rather than individual phonemes, shares similarities with several modern writing systems that also focus on syllables. Here are a few examples:

1. Japanese: The Japanese writing system uses syllabaries like Hiragana and Katakana. Each character in these syllabaries represents a syllable rather than a single phoneme. For example, か (ka), し (shi), す (su) are all syllables in Hiragana.
2. Korean (Hangul): Hangul is a unique script where letters for individual sounds are grouped into syllabic blocks. Each block forms a syllable. For example, the syllable 한 (han) is made up of three letters: ㅎ (h), ㅏ (a), and ㄴ (n).
3. Cherokee: The Cherokee syllabary, created by Sequoyah in the 19th century, is another example. This writing system for the Cherokee language is composed of symbols each representing a syllable.
4. Ethiopian Script (Ge’ez): The Ge’ez script, used for languages like Amharic and Tigrinya, is an abugida where each character represents a consonant-vowel combination, thus forming syllables.
5. Tamil: A Dravidian language spoken predominantly in Tamil Nadu, India, and Sri Lanka, Tamil uses a script where letters often represent syllables. It’s an abugida, where consonant-vowel sequences are written as units.
6. Burmese: Used for the Burmese language, this script is an abugida where characters represent syllables. The script consists of circular and semi-circular letters, which are consonants each with an inherent vowel ‘a’.

These examples show a variety of approaches to syllabic writing, demonstrating the diversity and adaptability of human language systems across different cultures and times. Like the ancient Mayans, these cultures have developed scripts that efficiently encode their spoken languages into written form, emphasizing syllables as fundamental units of speech.

Thank you. How have these languages have been adapted to use a smart phone, allowing the efficient entry of text using a non-alphabetic keyboard? Please give several detailed examples.

Adapting non-alphabetic writing systems to smartphones for efficient text entry has been an interesting challenge, and several languages have implemented innovative solutions. Here are detailed examples of how this adaptation has been achieved for some of the languages mentioned earlier:

1. Japanese (Hiragana and Katakana):

• Input Method: The most common method for Japanese text input on smartphones is the ‘flick’ input system. This system uses a virtual keyboard layout similar to the traditional 12-key keypad, where each key represents a group of kana characters.
• Operation: Users select a key and then flick in a specific direction to choose the desired character. For example, the key labeled with ‘あ’ (a) also contains ‘い’ (i), ‘う’ (u), ‘え’ (e), and ‘お’ (o). A straight press selects ‘あ’, while flicking up, right, down, or left selects the other characters, respectively.
• Adaptation: This method significantly reduces the space required on the screen and allows for quick and intuitive text entry.

1. Korean (Hangul):

• Input Method: Korean uses a similar ‘flick’ or ‘swipe’ method, along with a standard QWERTY layout modified for Hangul.
• Operation: The Korean keyboard is typically arranged in consonants and vowels. Users can type by selecting the consonants and vowels to form syllabic blocks automatically. For example, typing ㅎ,ㅏ,ㄴ sequentially will automatically combine them into 한.
• Adaptation: Smart prediction and auto-complete features are also widely used, making typing more efficient.

1. Cherokee:

• Input Method: Cherokee language support on smartphones often uses a standard keyboard layout with the Cherokee syllabary.
• Operation: Users press individual keys representing each syllable. There are also options for long-pressing keys to access additional syllables.
• Adaptation: The implementation is straightforward, but the challenge lies in the relatively larger number of characters compared to the Latin alphabet.

1. Ethiopian Script (Ge’ez for Amharic, etc.):

• Input Method: The Ge’ez script is often implemented with a keyboard layout that groups characters by their base consonant, with variations for each vowel modifier accessible via long press or additional key taps.
• Operation: Users select the base consonant and then choose the vowel modifier to form the desired syllable.
• Adaptation: Predictive text and auto-correction features are also commonly used to facilitate faster typing.

1. Burmese:

• Input Method: Burmese script is usually inputted using a virtual keyboard that closely mimics the arrangement of characters on a physical Burmese keyboard.
• Operation: Users type consonants followed by vowel modifiers, with the script’s inherent ‘stacking’ nature allowing characters to combine into syllables.
• Adaptation: Due to the complex nature of the script, typing can be slower, but predictive text features help in improving efficiency.

Each of these systems reflects a balance between maintaining the integrity and uniqueness of the script and adapting to the technological constraints and user experience considerations of modern smartphones. These adaptations have been crucial in ensuring the continued use and relevance of these languages in the digital age.