Re: How do I say 'this is not in any language' in XHTML/HTML

Stephen Deach scripsit:

> What is the processing-side difference between "zxx" (no linguistic 
> content) and "art" (artificial)?

Semantically, "art" refers to artificial human languages such as Esperanto
(which has its own code), Loglan, or Toki Pona.  Processing any language
tag depends on the purpose of processing: if a text is tagged "art", and
your program has heuristics for telling one such language from another,
you might want to apply them; no such heuristics make sense for "zxx".

Most programs can only act on a tiny subset of the available language
tags in any event: to the great bulk of all software, "sco" and "nds"
are as opaque as "art" or "zxx".

-- 
Mos Eisley spaceport.  You will never           John Cowan
see a more wretched hive of scum and            cowan@ccil.org
villainy -- unless you watch the                http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
Jerry Springer Show.   --georgettesworld.com

Received on Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:36:02 UTC