Re: language identifiers - iso 639

From: Mark Leisher (mleisher@crl.nmsu.edu)
Date: Sat Sep 16 1995 - 15:16:25 EDT


    Keld> We did talk about how to handle language codes in CEN when
    Keld> we looked at how to specify the locale name syntax for the
    Keld> CEN cultural registry, and there our decision was to follow
    Keld> the POSIX and X/Open tradition to use the ISO 639 names,
    Keld> just as the internet RFC earlier mentioned. For languages
    Keld> our proposal was to use the maintenance mechanism of ISO 639
    Keld> instead of turning to other mechanisms. In that way we would
    Keld> keep all the standards involved consistent and aligned, and
    Keld> the maintenance of ISO 639 is a quite expedient way to have
    Keld> these specifications full normative ISO standard status -
    Keld> new codes can become full ISO standard state after about 3
    Keld> months from the proposal. We are in CEN planning to propose
    Keld> a number of new language codes, for the European languages
    Keld> that we are working on right now.

    Keld> I think introducing a Unicode language identifier would mess
    Keld> up the consensus that there is now on using ISO 639 as the
    Keld> prime identifier standard for languages.

From our perspective, if ISO 639 were to adopt a significant selection
from the Ethnologue list of languages, it would be much easier to
accept as a reference to work from.

Are you aware of any proposals to significantly increase the coverage
of ISO 639?
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mleisher@crl.nmsu.edu
Mark Leisher "The trick is not gaining the knowledge,
Computing Research Lab but surviving the lessons."
New Mexico State University -- "Svaha," Charles de Lint
Box 30001, Dept. 3CRL
Las Cruces, NM 88003



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