N'Ko: Lack of font support for non-joined style and bold text

This issue is applicable to N'Ko.

Letters in N'Ko text are normally joined (ie. 'cursive'), but instances can also be readily found of unjoined text, particularly in headings. Here is an example.

Note also that the heading text is bold. The text shown was achieved using legacy fonts that are not Unicode compatible.

For more information, see the language enablement requirements here and here.

Discussion thread: Non-joined fonts in N'Ko

The Gap:

There are only three Unicode compliant fonts in use, Noto Sans N'ko, Ebrima, and Kigelia, and none of them provide for unjoined text.

Bold font faces are available for Ebrima and Kigelia, but not for Noto.

It is possible to use CSS to make a font show unjoined letters, if the OpenType features are available. Simply add something like this to your style sheet.

.unjoined { font-feature-settings: "init" 0, "medi" 0, "fina" 0, "isol" 1; }

But that's a little complicated for most people, and doesn't help those using Word, etc.

Priority:

Bold, unjoined headings are a regular feature of N'Ko text, so it is problematic not to be able to produce them with the Noto font, and may even delay the migration of some users to Unicode.

Tests & results:

Interactive test, Exploratory test: N’Ko headings can be rendered unjoined and bolded.

Action taken:

This does not need to be fixed in W3C specs or in browsers. Font developers need to provide appropriate fonts.

Noto

Outcomes:

Noto Unjoined and Unjoined Bold fonts are now available.

Start with the linked N'Ko writing-style requirements and the exploratory test for unjoined, bold headings. The issue records that the needed fonts were handled externally and links to the Noto issue; verify the documented outcome there rather than changing this repository.