So here's a little sample of what abba looks like as of right now. It's very much in development but it's already pretty fun to look at. Allow me to run through the first couple posts in my stream about the New Abbreviations:
Foꝛ ð laſt ſix years oꝛ ſo, I'v̯ woꝛk̳ on a complet̯ ⁊ compꝛehenſiv̯ ſyſtem of tranſcription-bas̳ ʃoꝛðaͫ Ⱳc tak̯s its ɹſpiration pꝛimari᷏ from ðeabbꝛeviation̯s of ð medieval ſcribal tradition. It's tailoꝛ̳ pꝛimari᷏ foꝛ wꝛiti̫ ɹ E̫liʃ, ðouȝ it's uſeabl̯ ɹ any la̫uag̯ ðt uſes ð Latin ɖaraɥę ſet. It compꝛiſes about 150 ɹdividual ɖaraɥ੭s, ðouȝ a ſizeabl̯ ɖṵ of ðoſe ɖaraɥ੭s ar̯ diacritics ðt ç combin̯ WITH oðęs ŧ foꝛm a v੭y flexibl̯, denſe, ⁊ a̯sðetical᷏ pleaſi̫ ſyſtem. I'v̯ docum̯̳̃ ðs ſyſtem ɹ a ſliȝt᷏ l̯ſs-ðan-matuꝛe foꝛm; it's closę ŧ featuꝛe complet̯ now. Ev੭y ſo often I conſidę ð b̯ſt way ŧ publiʃ ð ſyſtem foꝛ widę conſumption.
Arguab᷏ ð v੭y firſt ði̫ ðt needs ŧ b̯ don̯ ǂ ŧ freez̯ ð featuꝛe ſet, as it w੭e, ⁊ defin̯ a v੭ſion 1.0 onc̯ I'm confid̯̃ it's got a‖ ð glyphs foꝛ woꝛds ⁊ ɖaraɥę combinations foꝛ a firſt paſs.
ðr ar̯ ſev੭al t̯ɖnical conſid੭ations aftę ðt. ð lett੭s n̯̳ ŧ b̯ wꝛitten by haͫ ⁊ ſcann̳.
But I alſo n̯̳ ŧ eſtabliʃ a way ŧ repꝛeſẽ ðem ɹ pꝛĩ̳ text; cuꝛr̯᷏̃ I hav̯ a larg̯ numbę of bitmaps ðt I mad̯ from editi̫ a fix̳-widð pixel fõ. ðs may oꝛ may not b̯ ð b̯ſt way. Obvious᷏ a fu‖ featuꝛ̳ typefac̯ would b̯ b̯ſt but ðt miȝt b̯ beyoͫ my abiliti̯s.
ſecoͫ ðr's ð qu̯ſtion of how ŧ compoſe ð docum̯̃s; wh̯ðę ŧ put ŧg̯ðę a PDF docum̯̃ oꝛ a navigabl̯ webſit̯.
On̯ of ð qu̯ſtions ŧ anſwę h੭e ǂ, Ⱳt ǂ ð puꝛpoſe of docum̯̃i̫ it ɹ ð firſt plac̯? Oꝛ moꝛe dir̯ɥ᷏—ǂ it exp̯ɥabl̯ ðt anybody who iſn't m̃ would
a) Hav̯ ɹt੭eſt ɹ learni̫ ðs ſyſtem, ⁊ b) B̯ abl̯ ŧ learn it ŧ ð degre̯ ðt I hav̯?
It requir̯s eßẽial᷏ no ðouȝt foꝛ m̃ ŧ wꝛit̯ ɹ ðs ſyſtem. But ðt muſt b̯ ɹ larg̯ part becauſe I cam̯ up WITH it; ⁊ becauſe I cam̯ up WITH ɹdividual ɖaraɥ੭s ovę ð couRSE of tim̯.
I hav̯ no exp੭ienc̯ WITH any ſoꝛt of beta t̯ſt੭s, ɹ oðę woꝛds.
And here's the same text with generator mode enabled:
Ɨ: 'THE'
ɲ: 'TO'
ʎ: 'OF'
ϗ: 'IN'
Ʒ: 'THAT'
ԡ: 'IT'
ϒ: 'AND'
ӓ: 'BE'
Ԙ: 'SYSTEM'
ȷ: 'FOR'
Ȟ: 'IS'
ϙ: 'WITH'
ʉ: 'HAVE'
Ҫ: 'IT'
ζ: 'CHARACTERS'
Ƒ: 'OR'
Ї: 'BEST'
Ρ: 'FIRST'
Σ: 'THIS'
ϸ: 'WAY'
ӕ: '_TH'
Ϻ: '_IN'
ϟ: '_AT'
ɑ: '_IT'
Ұ: '_TO'
Ӽ: '_TE'
Ѽ: '_AN'
Ӷ: '_ST'
ӄ: '_CO'
Ƣ: '_BE'
Ϯ: '_AR'
ƫ: '_IS'
Ϗ: '_ER'
ȵ: '_LE'
ɮ: '_RE'
ȷ Ɨ laӶ six yeϮs Ƒ so, I've worked on a ӄmpȵӼ ϒ ӄmpɮhensive Ԙ ʎ trѼscription-based shorӕѼd which takes ɑs Ϻspirϟion primϮily from ӕeabbɮviϟiones ʎ Ɨ medieval scribal tradɑion. ԡ's tailoɮd primϮily ȷ wrɑϺg ϗ Englƫh, ӕough ԡ's useabȵ ϗ Ѽy lѼguage Ʒ uses Ɨ LϟϺ chϮacӼr set. ԡ ӄmprƫes about 150 Ϻdividual ζ, ӕough a sizeabȵ chunk ʎ ӕose ζ Ϯe diacrɑics Ʒ cѼ ӄmbϺe ϙ oӕϏs ɲ form a vϏy fȵxibȵ, dense, ϒ aesӕetically pȵasϺg Ԙ. I've documenӼd Σ Ԙ ϗ a slightly ȵss-ӕѼ-mϟuɮ form; ԡ's closϏ ɲ feϟuɮ ӄmpȵӼ now. EvϏy so ofӼn I ӄnsidϏ Ɨ Ї ϸ ɲ publƫh Ɨ Ԙ ȷ widϏ ӄnsumption.
Ϯguably Ɨ vϏy Ρ ӕϺg Ʒ needs ɲ ӓ done Ȟ ɲ fɮeze Ɨ feϟuɮ set, as ԡ wϏe, ϒ defϺe a vϏsion 1.0 once I'm ӄnfident ԡ's got all Ɨ glyphs ȷ words ϒ chϮacӼr ӄmbϺϟions ȷ a Ρ pass.
ӕϏe Ϯe sevϏal Ӽchnical ӄnsidϏϟions afӼr Ʒ. Ɨ ȵtӼrs need ɲ ӓ wrɑӼn by hѼd ϒ scѼned.
But I also need ɲ eӶablƫh a ϸ ɲ ɮpɮsent ӕem ϗ prϺӼd Ӽxt; curɮntly I ʉ a lϮge numƢr ʎ bɑmaps Ʒ I made from edɑϺg a fixed-widӕ pixel font. Σ may Ƒ may not ӓ Ɨ Ї ϸ. Obviously a full feϟuɮd typeface would ӓ Ї but Ʒ might ӓ Ƣyond my abilɑies.
Seӄnd ӕϏe's Ɨ queӶion ʎ how ɲ ӄmpose Ɨ documents; wheӕϏ ɲ put ҰgeӕϏ a PDF document Ƒ a navigabȵ websɑe.
One ʎ Ɨ queӶions ɲ ѼswϏ hϏe Ȟ, whϟ Ȟ Ɨ purpose ʎ documentϺg ԡ ϗ Ɨ Ρ place? Ƒ moɮ diɮctly—Ȟ ԡ expectabȵ Ʒ Ѽybody who ƫn't me would
a) ʉ ϺӼɮӶ ϗ ȵϮnϺg Σ Ԙ, ϒ b) ӓ abȵ ɲ ȵϮn ԡ ɲ Ɨ degɮe Ʒ I ʉ?
ԡ ɮquiɮs essentially no ӕought ȷ me ɲ wrɑe ϗ Σ Ԙ. But Ʒ muӶ ӓ ϗ lϮge pϮt Ƣcause I came up ϙ ԡ; ϒ Ƣcause I came up ϙ Ϻdividual ζ ovϏ Ɨ ӄurse ʎ time.
I ʉ no expϏience ϙ Ѽy sort ʎ Ƣta ӼsӼrs, ϗ oӕϏ words.