- From: <keshlam@us.ibm.com>
- Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 10:07:19 -0400
- To: xml-uri@w3.org
>Consider the XML 1.0 Recommendation. It defined the xml:lang attribute. >There is syntax here, but there is also semantics that goes beyond the >syntax to constrain what sort of content is OK to be within the tags. This doesn't constrain; per the XML REC, it _specifies_. In other words, it gives guidance about the expected content of this element at this time; and individual tools can attempt to do something useful with that "language tagging". But the definition of "something useful" is not stated. I agree that this is a semantic hint. But it's a pretty darned weak semantic. At best it's equivalent to using XML Schema to specify that the field is a number -- OK, that's fine, but what does the number _mean_? (And how does one type-check langauges -- put them through an appropriate spellchecker?) I consider number, and xml:lang, to be extended syntax rather than semantics. But I grant that the line is fuzzy. De gustibus non disputandum est. (OK, now what language is this paragraph in?) ______________________________________ Joe Kesselman / IBM Research
Received on Thursday, 15 June 2000 10:07:35 UTC