Re: CLDR Usage of Gregorian Calendar Era Terms: BC and AD -- Can we please have "CE" and "BCE" ?

From: Mark Davis (mark.davis@icu-project.org)
Date: Wed Dec 19 2007 - 15:09:15 CST

  • Next message: Michael Everson: "Re: CLDR Usage of Gregorian Calendar Era Terms: BC and AD -- Can we please have "CE" and "BCE" ?"

    Good point. We can certainly do that; there is provision for that in CLDR
    for alternates.

    However, *one *of these pairs would need to be the default for the language,
    and that's the one that would see the most usage. So this shifts the
    discussion to the choice of default.

    Mark

    On Dec 19, 2007 12:16 PM, Kenneth Whistler <kenw@sybase.com> wrote:

    > Mark,
    >
    > > The goal for CLDR is to use the most customary, recognizable terms for
    > > whatever the language in question. You can file a bug on the CLDR site
    > > presenting evidence that CE and BCE are more commonly used and
    > understood
    > > than AD and BC.
    >
    > I think this frames Ed's point incorrectly. It isn't that there
    > is one set of terms, and that the "most customary, recognizable"
    > English translation of those terms is "AD" and "BC".
    >
    > There really are two *competing* sets of terms for Gregorian
    > eras, with different intents, a slight difference in technical
    > sense, and vastly different connotations. And both sets of
    > terms may have distinct translations (and distinct local patterns
    > of usage).
    >
    > Rather than try to continue the pointless, endless, and fruitless
    > battle over whether CE/BCE should supplant all AD/BC usage in
    > English in yet another technical context in CLDR, the more
    > neutral and translationally more accurate way forward would
    > be to recognize *two* sets of terms needing translation for
    > Gregorian eras:
    >
    > Term set one: AD/BC
    > Term set two: CE/BCE
    >
    > It is quite likely that you will find corresponding parallel
    > translations in many languages, and the same kind of
    > cultural wars regarding which should be used in what contexts.
    >
    > Example:
    >
    > http://www.religioustolerance.org/ceintro.htm
    > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era
    >
    > >
    > > That does not, of course, prevent a spirited discussion on this list or
    > > (perhaps more appropriately, cldr-users@unicode.org).
    >
    > Of course.
    >
    > --Ken
    >
    >
    >
    > 

    -- 
Mark

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