Re: [xml-dev] XML Core WG needs input on xml:lang=""

At 8:37 AM -0400 8/2/02, John Cowan wrote:

>By the present rules, there is no way to express the fact that the
>content of the pre element is not in English.  (Computer languages are out
>of scope for RFC 3066 and have no codes.)
>

It should be noted that xml:lang="" is legal today under XML 1.0. It 
is not malformed. Its validity depends completely on the DTD, but it 
is not de facto invalid. A parser that issues a fatal error on 
encountering this would itself be incorrect.

The XML 1.0 specification defines no semantic meaning for 
xml:lang="", but honestly xml:lang is one of the few places where XML 
can be said to define any semantics at all.

I am not convinced that any change is required to the existing spec. 
The question of how to interpret the contents of the xml:lang 
attribute is one for local processes.
-- 

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| Elliotte Rusty Harold | elharo@metalab.unc.edu | Writer/Programmer |
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Received on Sunday, 4 August 2002 20:49:18 UTC