Below is a list of the terms we will be using throughout this document:

Visual string - refers to textual information as it is displayed.

Logical string - refers to textual information as it is stored. The logical string stores the characters in the order in which they are read or pronounced.

Shaping - refers to a mechanism used to replace each character with a character whose graphical representation depends on its position in the word (isolated, initial, final, or middle).