On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 7:14 AM, toki <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > On 19/05/2015 10:20, Dirk-Willem van Gulik wrote: > > > So in ISO 639-X the most accurate you can pinpoint it is xo and then xho. > > And in glotolog; you have mpon1252 as its most precise denominator. > > > > Now as it *happens* - this language is spoken in an area fully covered > by a single country - so you can use a 3166 as a country (-1, ZA) or (-2, > ZA-EC, ZA-NL) region specifier; and then refine it. > > As it happens that the region more or less maps to the language spoken > there (and lets argue that in that region or country no other languages > are spoken). > > However, Xhosa is currently included in AOo, and is spoken in the same > country as mPondo. I _think_ that AOo currently uses ISO 3166-1 code > (IE: ZA). > > > > >> For a slightly different example, I give you Koine Greek and Attic Greek > >> . > >> Linguist-List codes them as grc-koi & grc-att, respectively. > >> ISO 639-2 code is GRC. ISO 639-3 is GRC. No ISO 639-1 code. > >> > >> I wish all dialects/languages were as accommodating as: > >> Gottolog lush1251 > >> ISO 639-1 none; > >> ISO 639-2 none; > >> ISO 639-3 LUT; > >> ISO 639-3 SKA; > >> ISO 639-3 SNO; > >> ISO 639-3 SLH; > >> (Note: AFAIK, there are no spell checkers or grammar checkers for those > >> dialects, for any office suite.) > > > > So also good examples - and I think the same applies > > > > - you get broad specifiers on -1, -2 level. > > - you may get granular specifiers in -3 and -5 for the rarer/older > languages. > > - for dialects and more refined pinpointing you hit the limits of > 639(-5) and have > > two options; petition SIL/Library of Congress to add one (above > examples are all in scope); or rely on glottolog. > > > > and > > > > - using regional coding; 3166; is not really helping you - as they > do not define language. > > ISO 3166-2 & 3166-1 codes are useful for locales. Which is the > difference between Xhosa, and mPondo. At least, if one accepts the legal > fiction that the enclaves are part of KwaZulu, and not Eastern Cape, and > also the debatable point that mPondo is either a distinct language or a > dialect of Xhosa. > > I will grant that for the First Nation languages of Australia, ISO > 3166-2 codes are not helpful, because the language changes at intervals > of between five and twenty five miles. (One farm in either Northern > Territories, or Western Australia can be the home of up to a dozen > different First Nation languages.) > > > Pragmatically that means using an exact -3 if you have it (i.e. the > exact language match); > > >relying on the nearest ‘above’ -5 language family identifier when there > is no -3 match to be had; and ONLY in the -5 case add whatever you can, > e.g. the glottolog identifier, to refine it. > > That helps with most minority languages. There are some that glottolog > won't define a code for, on the grounds that they are, for all practical > purposes, extinct. > > > or something along those lines. And discourage -1 and 3166 use; though > permit it in :other if there is no glottolog entry > > That makes things easy. > Two things: 1. I have no idea what anyone in this thread is talking about, but it does sound important. 2. I am tremendously proud that we have such knowledge and talent in our community helping us take care of i18n issues like this. Thanks! -Rob > > Now to delve into a couple of spelling and grammar checkers, and change > them to those criteria. > > And then submit the RFEs for those language/locales. > > jonathon > >
