File talk:Writing directions of the world.svg

Vertical scripts

Mongolian traditionally is written TTB-LTR, not TTB-RTL (like sinograms). However, the Cyrillic script is in widespread use in Mongolia.

The writing systems of China and Japan indeed mix TTB-RTL and LTR-TTB, the legend only says TTB and LTR, without qualifier for secondary directionality. (It’s only implied for horizontal, not for vertical scripts.) — Christoph Päper 10:12, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

All the Communist countries (PRC, DPRK) standardized on LTR-TTB after their revolutions. Even in the non-Communist East Asian countries, LTR-TTB may now be more common. It is certainly standard for anything on computers. Traditional Mongolian is indeed the official script for the Mongol language in China but I believe the Mongol language has little currency in written business in Inner Mongolia. Also, Roman is used for all business in Malaysia. So in terms of predominant usage, the map may be as simple as Arabic and Hebrew scripts vs. everything else. --JWB (talk) 01:15, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

Correction to Mongolian script

For the dark green portion of the map (Inner Mongolia), shouldn't this read "Top-to-bottom (left-to-right)"?

Arabic?!

@SPQRobin: Hello just having question about the map.Why Arabic used in Countries with Persian languages such as Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan both contries having different languages and scripts than Arabic and these countries use Persian writing system.Simsala111 (talk) 20:03, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

The Persian writing system is just a slight variant of the Arabic alphabet with several added letters. What I find strange about the map is that if it singles out Tifinagh and Yi, then why not Greek, Cyrillic, Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic, etc. AnonMoos (talk) 09:41, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

@AnonMoos: But even if we accept that in Tajikistan Persian tajiki (or what themselves call it Tajiki) is using Cyrillic script which is completely different than perso-Arabic system.this map is completely wrong.armenian is also left to right. Simsala111 (talk) 23:44, 12 March 2022 (UTC)

Greek and Cyrillic are left to right, same as Roman alphabets, so they are mapped in the same color. But Tifinagh is an island of LTR surrounded by RTL Arabic script. Goustien (talk) 19:35, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

Add a label explaining Malaysia

A street sign in Malacca, Malaysia with Malay in both Jawi and Latin scripts, as well as an English translation.

Can someone please label the part of the map that's light-orange saying that Malaysia uses both Arabic and Latin? I was curious what that part was. I didn't even know that was Malaysia. Akeosnhaoe (talk) 13:04, 7 May 2021 (UTC)

@Akeosnhaoe: this is a reference to the Jawi script, a way of writing Malay in a right-to-left script adapted from Arabic. It is used in parallel with Latin script. See an example of mixed usage to the right. (I guess it is never too late to answer a question.) Place Clichy 10:16, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

Not a sign

@Place Clichy this is a map in svg, not a sign. RZuo (talk) 08:27, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

I added Category:Multilingual maps and several categories of Maps by language. However I think that the category for the combination of 9 languages displayed in this map is also useful. It would probably not be a good idea to develop the Multilingual signs tree for every possible type of sign. The word sign is not only synonymous with signboard, it has a more generic meaning. E.g. according to Wiktionary: 1. A perceptible (e.g. visible) indication and Merriam Webster: 1c: a fundamental linguistic unit that designates an object or relation or has a purely syntactic function (signs include words, morphemes, and punctuation). So this file should definitely be in a multilingual maps category, but I think it is fine to also place it in the most appropriate multilingual signs category. Place Clichy 10:00, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

Category:Maps are not Category:Signs. RZuo (talk) 10:42, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

That's correct. That's why I think a good solution is to place the file in both Multilingual maps and Novelingual Arabic-Berber-Chinese-English-Hebrew-Japanese-Korean-Mongolian-Persian signs to convey the notion that this map uses these nine languages.

Re: your other comment that The current diagram makes no mention of the fact that Chinese is top-to-bottom (right-to-left). Chinese is not TTB-LTR. In my understanding Chinese, Japanese and Korean are indeed written either top-to-bottom (right-to-left) or left-to right (top-to-bottom). The legend currently says that the light green zone is both TTB and LTR, which is not incorrect. If you think it could be more precise, you could ask at Commons:Graphic Lab/Map workshop for this legend to be changed e.g. to 'Both TTB (RTL) and LTR (TTB)'. If you do so, I also suggest to ask for a label mentioning the Jawi (جاوي‎) script next to the orange 'Both RTL and LTR' area covering Malaysia, per the discussion above. Place Clichy 10:18, 19 April 2023 (UTC)