Re: How to language tag language tags?

Kent Karlsson, Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:21:44 +0100:
> Den 2012-01-05 12:07, skrev "Leif Halvard Silli":
> 
>> If I wanted to create a HTML version of the language subtag registry,
> 
> You're not the first to have a similar idea.

I don't really have that idea. It was just a pretext for asking about 
how to language tag a language tag ...

> See
> http://www.langtag.net/registries/language-subtag-registry.xml.


Oh, thanks. But no language tags in that document. :-[

>> then I would tag the entire registry with lang="en" (<html lang="en">),

  ...
> In addition some of the language (alternative) names ("descriptions")
> are definitely not English. E.g. "finlandssvenskt teckenspråk", 

Indeed. I glossed over that ...

  [...]
> Further, the entire registry is in a strictly controlled formal
> language, even though the field names are English words. Compare
> most programming languages (and HTML for that matter). Even though
> most key words, and even most variable names are "sort of English",
> a computer program in programming language so-and-so isn't in English.

So, would you rather have done <html lang='zxx'>, then?

>> while each entr in the registry perhaps could look like this:
>> 
>> <hr/>
>> <p>Type: language<br/>
>>    Subtag: <dfn lang="zxx">aa</dfn><br/>
>>    Description: Afar<br/>
>>    Added: 2005-10-16</p>
>> 
>> Question: Do you agree with the choice of language tag for the <dfn>
>> element around the very language tag?
> 
> I'm not sure a language subtag is a "definition term" (<dfn>) at all...

Above, it is 'aa' that is being defined.

> To me a "definition term" should be a term, i.e. something used in a
> natural language (or may occur inline in a text in a natural language).
> I would include abbreviations/acronyms, but language subtags aren't
> abbreviations/acronyms.

I see your thought. But I don't think that HTML5 has any problem with 
this. I also think that even if we consider the entire registry a 
'computer language', there is still nothing that hinders that one could 
use lang='en' inside this language. For instance, one could describe 
the meaning of <h1> in the following way:

<root lang=zxx>&lt;<abbr lang=en title='heading level 1' 
      >h1</abbr>&rt;</root>

PS: Since you did not react to the choice of 'zxx', then I suppose it 
was the correct tag.
-- 
Leif H Silli

Received on Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:35:43 UTC