language tag structure

[John Cowan]

JFC (Jefsey) Morfin scripsit:

>     - the authoritative source/reference

What is the purpose of this "authoritative source"?  The RFC 1766 tradition
uses authorities in order to clearly discriminate one language from another,
and to make it clear, in the case of multiple languages known by the same
name, which one is meant.  But those sources are provided in registrations,
they are not encoded in tags.

Your other four components, language, script (not "scripting", please), 
geographical location, and variant, are provided for informally in RFC 3066
and are formalized in RFC 3066bis.

>     - the authoritative source/reference is Microsoft (and they miss a 
> _lot_ of words)

Microsoft is not an authoritative source of language definition.
They are a company that sells word-processing software.

> 5. ISO 7000 oriented ICONs

There will never be enough icons even to represent the 7000 languages of the
world, never mind their subdivisions.  The best indicator of a language is
usually the name of the language in that very language, as English or Deutsch.

>     Martin, I have carefully read your IRI draft (10.txt ?) several times. 
> I am not sure I understand everything. This is certainly due to my low IQ. 

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answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.
	--Mark 15:2

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