Unicode et typographie : un amour impossible

In this paper we give a new approach to the concepts of glyph and character, applied to the study of the Unicode encoding. After a thorough discussion of these two concepts, we describe the other fundamental ingredients of the encoding: privileged glyphs, character descriptions, combining characters, and properties. In each case we try to show the importance of the given notion and at the same time to draw its limits by using counter-examples. This paper aims to be an “exegesis” as well as a (positive) critic of the encoding to which this special number of Document Numérique is dedicated. MOTS-CLÉS : Unicode, typographie, glyphes, caractères, langues orientales.