function AtStart(i, text) {
        return ((i == 0) || (text.charAt(i-1) == ' '));
      }

      function AtEnd(i, text) {
        return ((i == text.length-1) || (text.charAt(i+1) == ' '));
      }

      function PrevChar(i, text) {
        if (AtStart(i, text)) {
          return "";
        }
        return text.charAt(i-1);
      }

      function NextChar(i, text) {
        if (AtEnd(i, text)) {
          return "";
        }
        return text.charAt(i+1);
      }

      function DisplayEnglish(text) {
        var englishText = [''];
        for (var i=0; i<text.length; i++) {
          var arabicLetter = text.charAt(i);
          var englishLetter = '';
          if (arabicLetter == ALEF) {
            englishLetter = '|A'; // a with bar on top
          } else if (arabicLetter == BEH) {
            englishLetter = 'B';
          } else if (arabicLetter == TEH) {
            englishLetter = 'T';
          } else if (arabicLetter == THEH) {
            englishLetter = 'TH'; // t with bar on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == JEEM) {
            englishLetter = 'G|J'; // g with down-pointing carot on top
          } else if (arabicLetter == HAH) {
            englishLetter = 'H'; // h with dot on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == KHAH) {
            englishLetter = 'KH'; // h with semicircle on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == DAL) {
            englishLetter = 'D'; // d with bar on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == THAL) {
            englishLetter = 'D|DH';
          } else if (arabicLetter == REH) {
            englishLetter = 'R';
          } else if (arabicLetter == ZAIN) {
            englishLetter = 'Z';
          } else if (arabicLetter == SEEN) {
            englishLetter = 'S';
          } else if (arabicLetter == SHEEN) {
            englishLetter = 'SH'; // s with down-pointing carrot on top
          } else if (arabicLetter == SAD) {
            englishLetter = 'S'; // s with dot on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == DAD) {
            englishLetter = 'D'; // d with dot on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == TAH) {
            englishLetter = 'T';
          } else if (arabicLetter == ZAH) {
            englishLetter = 'Z'; // z with dot on bottom
          } else if (arabicLetter == AIN) {
            englishLetter = '';
          } else if (arabicLetter == GHAIN) {
            englishLetter = 'G|GH'; // g with dot on top 
          } else if (arabicLetter == FEH) {
            englishLetter = 'F';
          } else if (arabicLetter == QAF) {
            englishLetter = 'Q';
          } else if (arabicLetter == KAF) {
            englishLetter = 'K';
          } else if (arabicLetter == LAM) {
            englishLetter = 'L';
          } else if (arabicLetter == MEEM) {
            englishLetter = 'M';
          } else if (arabicLetter == NOON) {
            englishLetter = 'N';
          } else if (arabicLetter == HEH) {
            englishLetter = 'H';
          } else if (arabicLetter == WAW) {
            englishLetter = 'W|U'; // u with bar on top
          } else if (arabicLetter == YEH) {
            englishLetter = 'Y|I'; // i with bar on top
          } else if (arabicLetter == BLANK) {
            englishLetter = ' ';
          }

          var englishLetterArray = englishLetter.split('|'); // array of letter choices to be appended
          letterCount = englishLetterArray.length;
          wordCount = englishText.length;

          // duplicate englishText array for each letter choice to be appended
          for (var letterIndex=1; letterIndex<letterCount; letterIndex++) {
            for (var wordIndex=0; wordIndex<wordCount; wordIndex++) {
              englishText[letterIndex*wordCount + wordIndex] = englishText[wordIndex];
            }
          }

          // append a different letter choice for each of the above duplications in englishText array
          for (var letterIndex=0; letterIndex<letterCount; letterIndex++) {
            for (var wordIndex=0; wordIndex<wordCount; wordIndex++) {
              englishText[letterIndex*wordCount + wordIndex] += englishLetterArray[letterIndex];
            }
          }
        }
        var result = englishText.join(', ');
        if (navigator.appName == "Netscape" && result.length > 4094) {
          result = "line too long"; // javascript on N4 seems to choke if it's longer than that
        }
        return result;
      }