Re: RDFa, XHTML1.1 and @lang (via Twitter)

The wording of the current RDFs syntax document is liberal enough to  
allow RDFa parsers to handle @lang already. (The DTD forbids the  
attribute to be present, but if we're going to get pedantic, the DTD  
doesn't allow xmlns attributes either.) In fact, depending on your  
reading of the document, it is arguable that handling @lang is  
already a requirement.

Step 3 of the processing sequence states:

> The [current element] is also parsed for any language information,  
> and if present, [current language] is set accordingly;

Note the phrase "*any* language information". The document then goes  
on to say that language information *can* be provided using xml:lang,  
but it doesn't say that other sources of language information cannot  
be explored.

I don't know whether this flexibility was intentional, but it is  
certainly present in the syntax document. Similar language is  
employed where it talks about parsing the element for URI mappings.

-- 
Toby A Inkster
<mailto:mail@tobyinkster.co.uk>
<http://tobyinkster.co.uk>

Received on Friday, 13 March 2009 19:33:54 UTC