[Bug 16166] New: i18n-ISSUE-138: Make lang and xml:lang synonyms in HTML5

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=16166

           Summary: i18n-ISSUE-138: Make lang and xml:lang synonyms in
                    HTML5
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P3
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: public-i18n-core@w3.org
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org


I imagine this will get shot down, but I've been thinking I should suggest it
for some time.

It's a pain in the neck to have to write both lang and xml:lang attributes on
an element in a polyglot document, and I've seen plenty of pages in the wild
from people who should know better where either the lang attribute is missing
in XHTML 1.x but the xml:lang attribute is there, as well as vice versa.

Can we not just make xml:lang a synonym of the lang attribute (in the right
conditions)?

I think the spec would need to describe what to do if both are used, to deal
with legacy, but only small changes would be required to the wording to say
that if an attribute in no namespace with no prefix and with the literal
localname "xml:lang" appears alone, then its should be treated as equivalent to
a lang attribute, and that of course you should use the lang attribute unless
this is a polyglot or XML document.

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Received on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 19:58:23 UTC