Re: [csswg-drafts] [selectors-4] Clarify :lang() behavior when the language range is not a well-formed BCP 47 code (#8720)

@svgeesus, I think the texts that you think should be removed and corrected are the same text.

I am also making these suggestions as more general clarifications:

  > The `:lang()` pseudo-class represents an element whose [content language](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text-4/#content-language) matches one of the comma-separated language ranges listed in its argument.
  >
  > Each **language range** in `:lang()` must be a valid CSS `<ident>` or `<string>`. (Thus language ranges containing asterisks, for example, must be either correctly escaped or quoted as strings, e.g. `:lang(\*-Latn)` or `:lang("*-Latn")`.)
  >
  > The element’s content language matches a language range if its content language [the same as what is already present...]. Language tags that are not valid cannot be matched and language ranges that cannot be canonicalized do not match anything.

(1) A **language range** is no longer initially defined as an *extended* content language, which would imply that it is received as well-formed and canonicalized.

(2) The CSS syntax requirements appear before those relating to matching the content language ranges/tag.

(3) The text about how to determine the content language of an HTML element is removed, as it already appears in CSS Text, which is referenced by the first occurrence of "content language".

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Received on Thursday, 14 May 2026 16:55:14 UTC