New Default Language paragraph

How about this text?

    4.5.  Default Language

    When human-readable text must be presented in a context where the
    sender has no knowledge of the recipient's language preferences
    (such as login failures or E-mailed warnings, or prior to language
    negotiation), text SHOULD be presented in Default Language.

    Default Language is assigned the tag "i-default" according to the
    procedures of RFC 1766. It is not a specific language, but rather
    identifies the condition where the language preferences of the
    user cannot be established.

    Messages in Default Language MUST be understandable by an English-
    speaking person, since this is the language which the greatest
    number of people will be able to get adequate help in interpreting
    when working with computers.

    Note that negotiating English is NOT the same as Default Language;
    Default Language is an emergency measure in otherwise unmanageable
    situations.
    In many cases, English text is reasonable; in some cases, the
    English text may be augumented by text in other languages.

It establishes both a name for the Default Language context and
permits multi-language notices, while preserving the English requirement.

Comments?

                  Harald A

--Boundary (ID uEbHHWxWEwCKT9wM3evJ5w)

Received on Thursday, 16 October 1997 13:59:39 UTC