XHTML+RDFa and @lang

(cc-ing the xhtml 2 working group as well)

Just to keep you all in the loop:

The XHTML 2 Working Group has been asked to re-introduce the lang 
attribute into XHTML family languages.  Basically this is so that 
assistive technologies will correctly identify the language of content. 
  It will also address some issues that arise when content is
served up as text/html instead of application/xhtml+xml. The change in 
XHTML 1.1 will read something like:

> <p>This specification also adds the <code>lang</code> attribute to the I18N 
> attribute collection as defined in <nref>XHTMLMOD</nref>.  The
> <code>lang</code> attribute is defined in <nref>HTML4</nref>. 
> When this attribute
> and the <code>xml:lang</code> are specified on the same element, the
> <code>xml:lang</code> takes precedence.</p>


The plan is to recommend (suggest) that documents that wish to be 
portable specify both @lang and @xml:lang.  In such documents, obviously 
the presence of @lang would have no side-effects with regard to 
XHTML+RDFa.  However, it is feasible that document authors will create 
documents that do not use @xml:lang at all - relying solely upon @lang.

We are not at this time proposing that this change be pushed into the 
RDFa Syntax Recommendation.  However, I imagine that this will come up 
when we go to re-issue that spec.  We have not examined what such a 
change would do to XHTML+RDFa - I request that the task force do so at 
its earliest convenience.

Thanks!
-- 
Shane P. McCarron                          Phone: +1 763 786-8160 x120
Managing Director                            Fax: +1 763 786-8180
ApTest Minnesota                            Inet: shane@aptest.com

Received on Thursday, 29 January 2009 17:22:42 UTC