Author: SIL Writing Systems Technology

# Akatab - Font Features

Akatab is an OpenType-enabled font family that supports the Tifinagh script. It includes a number of optional user-selected features that may be useful or required for particular uses or languages. This document lists all the user-selected features. These features are primarily specified using four-letter tags (e.g. 'cv17'). For more information on how to access OpenType features in specific environments and applications, see Using Font Features.

Akatab also provides for a number of common features such as ligature formation, contextual substitution and diacritic positioning. It also provides right-to-left rendering of text. Most applications will make use of these features when the proper sequence of characters is entered.

This page uses web fonts (WOFF2) to demonstrate font features and should display correctly in all modern browsers. For detailed information, see Using SIL Fonts on Web Pages. For a more concise example of how to use Akatab as a web font, see Akatab Webfont Example.

If this document is not displaying correctly, a PDF version is also provided in the documentation/pdf folder of the release package.

## User-selected feature list

### Character variants

#### Alternate YA

Affects: U+2D30

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴰ | ‮ⴰ | `cv01=0`
Circle | ⴰ | ‮ⴰ | `cv01=1`

#### Alternate YAF

Affects: U+2D3C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴼ | ‮ⴼ | `cv02=0`
I-shape | ⴼ | ‮ⴼ | `cv02=1`
Open top and bottom | ⴼ | ‮ⴼ | `cv14=1 (or cv02=2)`

#### Alternate YAGHH

Affects: U+2D34

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴴ | ‮ⴴ | `cv03=0`
Round bottom | ⴴ | ‮ⴴ | `cv03=1`

#### Alternate YAGN

Affects: U+2D50

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵐ | ‮ⵐ | `cv04=0`
Lowered bottom stroke | ⵐ | ‮ⵐ | `cv04=1`

#### Alternate YU

Affects: U+2D53

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵓ | ‮ⵓ | `cv05=0`
Short strokes | ⵓ | ‮ⵓ | `cv05=1`

#### Alternate YAZ

Affects: U+2D63

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵣ | ‮ⵣ | `cv06=0`
Squared | ⵣ | ‮ⵣ | `cv06=1`

#### Alternate AHAGGAR YAZH

Affects: U+2D4B

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵋ | ‮ⵋ | `cv07=0`
Squared | ⵋ | ‮ⵋ | `cv07=1`

#### Alternate YAB

Affects: U+2D31

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴱ | ‮ⴱ | `cv08=0`
Rectangle style | ⴱ | ‮ⴱ | `cv08=1`

#### Alternate YAG

Affects: U+2D33

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴳ | ‮ⴳ | `cv09=0`
Rounded top | ⴳ | ‮ⴳ | `cv09=1`

#### Alternate YAJ

Affects: U+2D36

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴶ | ‮ⴶ | `cv10=0`
Lower dots | ⴶ | ‮ⴶ | `cv10=1`

#### Alternate YAH (Tuareg yab)

Affects: U+2D40

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵀ | ‮ⵀ | `cv11=0`
Rectangle style | ⵀ | ‮ⵀ | `cv11=1`

#### Alternate YASH

Affects: U+2D5B

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵛ | ‮ⵛ | `cv12=0`
8 shape | ⵛ | ‮ⵛ | `cv12=1`

#### Alternate YATT

Affects: U+2D5F

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵟ | ‮ⵟ | `cv13=0`
F shape | ⵟ | ‮ⵟ | `cv13=1`

#### Alternate YADH

Affects: U+2D38

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴸ | ‮ⴸ | `cv15=0`
Rounded bottom | ⴸ | ‮ⴸ | `cv15=1`

#### Alternate YAL and YAL

Affects: U+2D4D U+2D4F

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | ‮ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | `cv19=0`
Slanted | ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | ‮ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | `cv19=1`

#### Alternate punctuation

Affects: U+0021 U+002C U+002E

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard Latin | ! , . |  | `cv20=0`
Decorative | ! , . |  | `cv20=1`

### Ligature variants

#### Alternate YAB YAT

Affects: U+2D31 U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴱ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴱ⵿ⵜ | `cv31=0`
Interior T | ⴱ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴱ⵿ⵜ | `cv31=1`

#### Alternate YAR YAT

Affects: U+2D54 U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵔ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵔ⵿ⵜ | `cv32=0`
Large interior T | ⵔ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵔ⵿ⵜ | `cv32=1`
Small interior T | ⵔ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵔ⵿ⵜ | `cv32=2`

#### Alternate YAS YAT

Affects: U+2D59 U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵙ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵙ⵿ⵜ | `cv33=0`
Large interior T lower dot | ⵙ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵙ⵿ⵜ | `cv33=1`
Small interior T | ⵙ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵙ⵿ⵜ | `cv33=2`
Large interior T upper dot | ⵙ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵙ⵿ⵜ | `cv33=3`

#### Alternate YAM YAT

Affects: U+2D4E U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵎ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵎ⵿ⵜ | `cv34=0`
Mid exterior T | ⵎ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵎ⵿ⵜ | `cv34=1`
Low interior T | ⵎ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵎ⵿ⵜ | `cv34=2`
Center T | ⵎ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵎ⵿ⵜ | `cv34=3`

#### Alternate YAF YAT

Affects: U+2D3C U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴼ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴼ⵿ⵜ | `cv35=0`
Single bar, middle exterior T | ⴼ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴼ⵿ⵜ | `cv02=1`
Double bar, middle exterior T | ⴼ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴼ⵿ⵜ | `cv35=1`
Single bar, middle interior T | ⴼ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴼ⵿ⵜ | `cv35=2 (or cv02=1)`
Open top & bottom, interior T | ⴼ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⴼ⵿ⵜ | `cv14=1 (or cv02=2)`

#### Alternate YAN TUAREG YAK

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D3E

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴾ | `cv36=0`
Double cluster dots | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴾ | ⵏ⵿ⴾ | `cv36=1`

#### Alternate YAN YAT

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵜ | `cv37=0`
Side bar | ⵏ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵜ | `cv37=1`
Top bar | ⵏ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵜ | `cv37=2`

#### Alternate YAL YAT

Affects: U+2D4D U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵍ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵍ⵿ⵜ | `cv38=0`
Internal T | ⵍ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵍ⵿ⵜ | `cv38=1`
Middle bar | ⵍ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵍ⵿ⵜ | `cv38=2`
X shape | ⵍ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵍ⵿ⵜ | `cv38=3`

#### Alternate YU YAT (WT)

Affects: U+2D53 U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵓ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵓ⵿ⵜ | `cv39=0`
Left short strokes | ⵓ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵓ⵿ⵜ | `cv05=1`
Tall T, left dots | ⵓ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵓ⵿ⵜ | `cv39=1`
Tall T, cross dots | ⵓ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵓ⵿ⵜ | `cv39=2`

#### Alternate TUAREG YAZH YAT

Affects: U+2D4C U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵌ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵌ⵿ⵜ | `cv40=0`
Mid exterior T | ⵌ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵌ⵿ⵜ | `cv40=1`
Center T | ⵌ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵌ⵿ⵜ | `cv40=2`

#### Alternate YAN YAD

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D37

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⴷ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴷ | `cv41=0`
Up down pointers | ⵏ⵿ⴷ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴷ | `cv41=1`

#### Alternate YAN YAF

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D3C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⴼ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴼ | `cv42=0`
Top and bottom bars | ⵏ⵿ⴼ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴼ | `cv42=1`
No bars | ⵏ⵿ⴼ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴼ | `cv14=1 (or cv02=2)`

#### Alternate YAN YAJ

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D36

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⴶ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴶ | `cv43=0`
Top and bottom dots | ⵏ⵿ⴶ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⴶ | `cv43=1`

#### Alternate YAN YAS

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D59

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⵙ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵙ | `cv44=0`
Interior YAN | ⵏ⵿ⵙ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵙ | `cv44=1`

#### Alternate YAN TUAREG YAZH

Affects: U+2D4F U+2D4C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏ⵿ⵌ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵌ | `cv45=0`
Exterior circles | ⵏ⵿ⵌ | ‮ⵏ⵿ⵌ | `cv45=1`

#### Alternate YAR TUAREG YAK

Affects: U+2D54 U+2D3E

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵔ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵔ⵿ⴾ | `cv46=0`
Double cluster dots | ⵔ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵔ⵿ⴾ | `cv46=1`

#### Alternate YASH TUAREG YAK

Affects: U+2D5B U+2D3E

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵛ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵛ⵿ⴾ | `cv47=0`
Double cluster dots | ⵛ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵛ⵿ⴾ | `cv47=1`
8 shape | ⵛ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵛ⵿ⴾ | `cv12=1`
8 shape, double cluster dots | ⵛ⵿ⴾ | ‮ⵛ⵿ⴾ | `cv47=2`

#### Alternate YASH YAT

Affects: U+2D5B U+2D5C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵛ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵛ⵿ⵜ | `cv48=0`
Internal T | ⵛ⵿ⵜ | ‮ⵛ⵿ⵜ | `cv48=1`

### Stylistic sets

#### Alternate YA

Affects: U+2D30

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴰ | ‮ⴰ | `ss01=0`
Circle | ⴰ | ‮ⴰ | `ss01=1`

#### Alternate YAF

Affects: U+2D3C

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴼ | ‮ⴼ | `ss02=0`
I-shape | ⴼ | ‮ⴼ | `ss02=1`
Open top and bottom | ⴼ | ‮ⴼ | `ss14=1`

#### Alternate YAGHH

Affects: U+2D34

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴴ | ‮ⴴ | `ss03=0`
Round bottom | ⴴ | ‮ⴴ | `ss03=1`

#### Alternate YAGN

Affects: U+2D50

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵐ | ‮ⵐ | `ss04=0`
Lowered bottom stroke | ⵐ | ‮ⵐ | `ss04=1`

#### Alternate YU

Affects: U+2D53

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵓ | ‮ⵓ | `ss05=0`
Short strokes | ⵓ | ‮ⵓ | `ss05=1`

#### Alternate YAZ

Affects: U+2D63

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵣ | ⵣ | `ss06=0`
Squared | ⵣ | ⵣ | `ss06=1`

#### Alternate Ahaggar YAZH

Affects: U+2D4B

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵋ | ‮ⵋ | `ss07=0`
Squared | ⵋ | ‮ⵋ | `ss07=1`

#### Alternate YAB

Affects: U+2D31

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴱ | ‮ⴱ | `ss08=0`
Rectangle style | ⴱ | ‮ⴱ | `ss08=1`

#### Alternate YAG

Affects: U+2D33

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴳ | ‮ⴳ | `ss09=0`
Rounded top | ⴳ | ‮ⴳ | `ss09=1`

#### Alternate YAJ

Affects: U+2D36

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴶ | ‮ⴶ | `ss10=0`
Lower dots | ⴶ | ‮ⴶ | `ss10=1`

#### Alternate YAH (Tuareg yab)

Affects: U+2D40

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵀ | ‮ⵀ | `ss11=0`
Rectangle style | ⵀ | ‮ⵀ | `ss11=1`

#### Alternate YASH

Affects: U+2D5B

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵛ | ‮ⵛ | `ss12=0`
8 shape | ⵛ | ‮ⵛ | `ss12=1`

#### Alternate YATT

Affects: U+2D5F

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵟ | ‮ⵟ | `ss13=0`
F shape | ⵟ | ‮ⵟ | `ss13=1`

#### Alternate YADH

Affects: U+2D38

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⴸ | ‮ⴸ | `ss15=0`
Rounded bottom | ⴸ | ‮ⴸ | `ss15=1`

#### Alternate YAL and YAL

Affects: U+2D4D U+2D4F

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard | ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | ‮ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | `ss19=0`
Slanted | ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | ‮ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ | `ss19=1`

#### Alternate punctuation

Affects: U+0021 U+002C U+002E

Feature | Sample | Sample right-to-left | Feature setting
--- | --- | --- | ---
Standard Latin | ! , . |  | `ss20=0`
Decorative | ! , . |  | `ss20=1`

## Common features list

The Akatab fonts contain logic that uses features to render certain glyphs and sequences properly. This logic processes the sequence of glyphs and produces the proper visual representation.

The sections below show the use of some formatting characters, notably the TIFINAGH CONSONANT JOINER (U+2D7F) and RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE (U+202E). A recommended keyboard for Tifinagh characters and these special characters can be downloaded at the Keyman Tuareg Tifinagh keyboard web site.

### Contextual shaping

Two Tifinagh characters, TIFINAGH LETTER YAL (U+2D4D) and TIFINAGH LETTER YAN (U+2D4F), could cause ambiguity when they appear next to each other. To prevent uncertainty, the second character in the sequence is raised as in the example below:
ⵏⵏⵏ ⵏⵍⵏ ⵍⵍⵍ ⵍⵏⵍ
If the user's preference is slanted bars, the user-selected features cv19 or ss19 can be used, as illustrated in the user-selected font features section above.

### Ligature formation

Bi-consonant ligatures are formed after typing the character sequences shown in the examples below. Type the first character, e.g. ⴱ (U+2D31), the TIFINAGH CONSONANT JOINER ⵿ (U+2D7F), and then the second character, e.g. ⵜ , to get the ⴱ⵿ⵜ ligature.

Akatab bi-consonant ligature examples

### Right-to-left Tifinagh

Historically, Tifinagh did not have a fixed direction. Modern Tifinagh is commonly printed as left-to-right text and The Unicode Standard: Tifinagh section specifies its directionality as strong left to right while recognizing it can be bidirectional. Akatab has glyph and rendering support for writing in both directions. To get right-to-left behaviour and then reverse the direction, the user can use two invisible formatting characters to change the direction of the characters and the text as follows:

1. U+202E (RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE) for right-to-left Tifinagh
   The text that follows will be right-to-left. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to right-to-left.
2. U+202C (POP DIRECTIONAL FORMATTING) to revert direction for Tifinagh text
   The text that follows reverts to the direction of the text before the previous U+202E character.

‮

#### Akatab examples

The following text demonstrates Tifinagh left-to-right behaviour:
ⵙⵏⵜⵜ ⵜⵙⴾⵍⵏ ⵓⵔ ⵜⴶⵂⵏⵜ ⵎⵉ

The following text demonstrates Tifinagh right-to-left behaviour using the U+202E character:
‮ ⵙⵏⵜⵜ ⵜⵙⴾⵍⵏ ⵓⵔ ⵜⴶⵂⵏⵜ ⵎⵉ

The following text demonstrates both Tifinagh directional behaviours using the U+202E and U+202C characters:
‮ ⵙⵏⵜⵜ ⵜⵙⴾⵍⵏ ⵓⵔ ⵜⴶⵂⵏⵜ ⵎⵉ ‬ ⵙⵏⵜⵜ ⵜⵙⴾⵍⵏ ⵓⵔ ⵜⴶⵂⵏⵜ ⵎⵉ

‮