The original question did not mention the word 'transcription' at all, but this term is coming up in the discussion.
I hope that that was *not* the point of the question.
The choice which character to use to transcribe a particular shape is a completely free choice of the designer of the alphabet. It is pointless to argue which character should be used.
Eva does not use numbers so 4 was not an option for q .
If there were some desire to use characters in transcription alphabets that are close to the shape in the MS, then the shape that should be transcribed with a 4 should be l , not q .
Of all characters (that are not numbers) that could be used to transcribe q , q is the most suitable because:
- the shape is similar so it is easy to remember
- q is the only character that is almost always followed by one single other character, just like q
I hope that that was *not* the point of the question.
The choice which character to use to transcribe a particular shape is a completely free choice of the designer of the alphabet. It is pointless to argue which character should be used.
Eva does not use numbers so 4 was not an option for q .
If there were some desire to use characters in transcription alphabets that are close to the shape in the MS, then the shape that should be transcribed with a 4 should be l , not q .
Of all characters (that are not numbers) that could be used to transcribe q , q is the most suitable because:
- the shape is similar so it is easy to remember
- q is the only character that is almost always followed by one single other character, just like q