Downloaded from https://www.everyspec.com FM 34-54 ARABIC NUMERALS: In school, the numerals used in the United States and most of the rest of the world are often called "Arabic numerals," but these are not the same forms used in Arabic alphabet languages. The real Arabic numerals are illustrated in Figure G-6. This figure also shows Arabic and Persian variants of the numerals along with their international equivalents. Unlike the Arabic alphabet (which is, of course, read from right to left), ARABIC NUMERALS ARE READ FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE SAME WAY AS OUR OWN NUMERALS ARE READ.
Document collectors should familiarize themselves with the Arabic numerals so they can read page numbers in collected documents and properly reassemble documents that have come apart. Collectors should remember that one of the results of the right-to-left orientation of the Arabic alphabet is that the apparent "back" of a document is actually the front. Figure G-7 illustrates the Arabic alphabet in its Arabic and Persian variants. Notice that each letter has four forms, labeled "alone," "final," "medial," and "initial." Notice that "initial" is to the right of "final." These column labels indicate two of the main differences between Arabic script and Roman script:
First, the letters change in order to connect to other letters, and second, THE SCRIPT IS WRITTEN FROM RIGHT TO LEFT. The letters with asterisks by their numbers cannot connect to a following letter. The initial form is used to begin a word or when the letter follows a nonconnectable letter. The medial form is used after a connectable letter or when it is used by itself; for example, to letter paragraphs in a document. DIACRITICS : Another feature of the Arabic alphabet is the use of diacritics to differentiate many of the letters. Figure G-8 illustrates the diacritics used in Arabic and Persian.
Using Figures G-7 and G-8, note that letters 2, 3, 4, 5, 29, and (partially) 33 have the same base form with the following diacritics: high dot >, letter 29; low dot >, letter 2; high double dot Ё >, letter 4; low double dot .. >, letter 33, initial and medial only; high triple dot >, letter 5; and low triple ˆ dot >, letter 3. Letter 8 is the base form for another diacritic set: High dot >, letter 9; low dot >, letter 6; low triple dot >, letter 7. Letter 10 is the base form, and letter 11 adds high dot >. Letter 12 is the base form. A Letter 13 adds high dot >, and letter 14 adds high triple dot >. Letter 15 is the base ˆ form and letter 16 adds high triple dot >. ˆ G-15