CLDR Version 33.1 Language/Locale Data Released for Unicode 11.0

Unicode CLDR 33.1 adds support for the recently released Unicode 11.0. Version 33.1 is the latest version of CLDR, the core open-source language data that major software systems use to adapt software to the conventions of over 80 different languages. The open-source Unicode ICU library incorporates the CLDR Version 33.1 data as part of its update to Unicode 11.0 in its ICU 62 release. ICU code is used by many products for Unicode and language support, including Android, Cloudant, ChromeOS, Db2, iOS, macOS, Windows, and many others.

The CLDR 33.1 release focuses on updates for Unicode 11.0: new names and keywords for the Unicode 11.0 emoji, Chinese collation stroke order, and script metadata. In addition, there are major improvements for names and annotations for the pre-11.0 emoji in CLDR languages. More extensive updates are planned for CLDR 34 (release expected in early October), with data submission still continuing.

For further details and links to documentation, see the CLDR 33.1 Release Notes.

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Over 130,000 characters are available for adoption, to help the Unicode Consortium’s work on digitally disadvantaged languages.

CLDR Version 33 Released

Unicode CLDR 33 provides an update to the key building blocks for software supporting the world’s languages. This data is used by all major software systems for their software internationalization and localization, adapting software to the conventions of different languages for such common software tasks.

This release had a limited submission phase. The focus was on improvements to emoji keywords and to the Odia and Assamese locales, addition of typographic names data, and improvements to the structure for specifying keyboard layouts. Improvements include:

• Structure
  • New structure for typographicNames translations (such as terms for Bold, Italic, ...), with data for 33 locales.
  • The structure for specifying keyboard layouts was significantly enhanced, with many new elements and attributes, and expanded syntax for some preëxisting attribute values.
• Additional Translations/Data
  • Annotations (emoji keywords) for a limited set of locales had a full review (ar, en_GB, de, es, ja, ru).
  • Two additional locales (Odia, Assamese) were brought up to Modern coverage level; some missing items were added in other locales.
  • Added 4 new transforms, and number spellout rules for 6 additional languages.
• Property files
  • The emoji property data file ExtendedPictographic.txt has been removed from CLDR data, since the contents are now part of the UTS #51 “Unicode Emoji” data.
  • labels.txt was added for emoji categories and subcategories. 

For further details and links to documentation, see the CLDR Release Notes.

About the Unicode Consortium

The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization founded to develop, extend and promote use of the Unicode Standard and related globalization standards.

The membership of the consortium represents a broad spectrum of corporations and organizations, many in the computer and information processing industry. Members include: Adobe, Apple, Emojipedia, Facebook, Google, Government of Bangladesh, Government of India, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, Netflix, Shopify, Sultanate of Oman MARA, Oracle, Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, SAP, Symantec, Tamil Virtual University, The University of California (Berkeley), plus well over a hundred Associate, Liaison, and Individual members. For a complete member list go to http://www.unicode.org/consortium/members.html

For more information, please contact the Unicode Consortium http://www.unicode.org/contacts.html.

Unicode LDML Keyboard Enhancements

The Unicode CLDR Technical Committee is planning to enhance the Unicode LDML keyboard specifications. The goal is to be able to represent all the keyboard features necessary to support keyboard layouts from all major providers, allowing the CLDR repository of keyboard layouts to support not only languages in widespread use, but also digitally disadvantaged languages.  As a part of this work, keyboards add support for more complex scripts, add capabilities for virtual keyboards (especially mobile phones), incorporate features needed on specific platforms, and provide better layouts overall. Keyboards would also be able to import files, reducing maintenance by allowing common features to be shared. For complex scripts, the transform elements are made more powerful, and reorder and backspace transforms are added.

The plan is to incorporate the changes specified in the PRI #367 background document into CLDR v33 (ca. March 2018), and to work thereafter to improve the tooling for the new specification, and streamline the process for submitting new keyboards into CLDR.

The committee is soliciting feedback on the proposal so that it can make any necessary improvements. The closing date for providing feedback is February 1, 2018.

Please see the PRI #367 page for complete details.

Over 130,000 characters are available for adoption, to help the Unicode Consortium’s work on digitally disadvantaged languages.