The fourth proposal on this list (Wikipedia Pinyin) has some serious 
policy-related questions. If you respond on nothing else, please provide an 
opinion on that one.


Wikipedia Simple 
Chinese<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_languages/Wikipedia_Simple_Chinese>
 (zh-simple): I have a query out (in two places) to the original requestor, as 
well as to the Meta community, as to whether a true "simple" version really 
exists. However, no one has cited one on the request page over the last six 
years, and in any case per current policy this would incubate within Chinese 
Wikipedia. I'm going to give two more weeks to hear a response to that query. 
If the answer is "no", I will reject. If the answer is "yes", I think I would 
put on hold, pending some evidence that "simple" content is starting to be 
added to zhwiki. (And if zhwiki has a community discussion and decides it 
doesn't want to do this, then I will reject.) If this ends in rejection, I will 
encourage anyone truly interested to start at Incubator Plus.


Wikipedia Southern 
Ndebele<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_languages/Wikipedia_South_Ndebele>
 (nr): An official language of the Republic of South Africa, spoken by over 2 
million speakers (L1 + L2). Test has about 20 pages, but was periodically 
active as late as 2016. Marking as eligible.

Wikipedia Kari 
Seediq<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_languages/Wikipedia_Kari_Seediq>
 (trv): Aboriginal language of Taiwan with about 20,000 speakers. Test has well 
over 1,200 pages, and had a stretch of four months in late 2016–early 2017 when 
it had sufficient activity to be approvable. (There is no localization yet, 
however.) Marking as eligible.


Wikipedia Pinyin 
Chinese<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_languages/Wikipedia_Chinese_(Pinyin)_2>
 (coded for now as cmn, Mandarin Chinese): Here's a proposal that I think needs 
some serious discussion. Please read the discussion on the linked Meta page.

Arguments against:

  *   No separate ISO 639-3 language code
  *   It is proposed that this can be handled with a script converter, per (for 
example) T193366<https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T193366>.
  *   One respondent objected to such a project taking manpower away from other 
Chinese-language projects.

Arguments supporting:

  *   Extremely widely used, and much on-line work in Chinese happens in 
Pinyin, not in ideographic characters.
  *   Proponents state (I cannot confirm) that there are many people who are 
"illiterate" in Chinese, not having mastered 3000 characters, who can 
potentially contribute to such a project. If so, that is closer to the ideal of 
creating projects that "anyone can edit".

I would also note that several other Chinese projects use Romanized Chinese. 
(All the min-nan projects are exclusively in Romanized language—see Wikipedia 
here<https://zh-min-nan.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A2u-ia%CC%8Dh>; Min Dong 
Wikipedia<https://cdo.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A0u_Hi%C4%95k> has pages in both 
scripts.)

If this project is deemed eligible, I'm pretty sure that it should not be coded 
with "cmn". (I can let it stay that way in Incubator for now, or give it a 
q-code.) Test has 250 mainspace pages, and has been active periodically. Last 
period of substantial activity was during summer 2017.

I am going to hold back my opinion on this just yet.

Wikipedia Mesopotamian 
Arabic<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_languages/Wikipedia_Mesopotamian_Arabic>
 (acm): In principle, as eligible as any other variety of Arabic. Test has only 
two pages, both created in 2016. Placing on hold pending additional 
contributions.

Steven


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