The limit of language codes

[Debbie Garside]

Chris Fynn wrote:

> It seems GB = United Kingdom [of Great Britain and Northern 
> Ireland] as far as ISO 3166 is concerned.

AFAIK this is the case and best sums up how people should view "GB".

Lee Gillam wrote:

> Since they don't like the name components *united* and *kingdom*, I guess 
> they couldn't find an appropriate 2 letter code element representing "". 
>
(http://www.iso.org/iso/en/prods-services/iso3166ma/10faq/frequently-asked-q
uestions.html#QS02).
> I expect they also debated "British Isles", found that to be
objectionable, then ran out of options.

And I think this pretty well sums up the discussions around it.

Nobody that I know in the UK ever refers to GB but I think we have to accept
the difficulties and precedents involved here and move on.

Best

Debbie

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ietf-languages-bounces at alvestrand.no 
> [mailto:ietf-languages-bounces at alvestrand.no] On Behalf Of 
> Christopher Fynn
> Sent: 20 February 2007 13:33
> To: ietf-languages at iana.org
> Cc: Marion Gunn
> Subject: Re: The limit of language codes
> 
> MG
> 
> ISO 3166 has:
> 
> UNITED KINGDOM  GB
> 
> It seems GB = United Kingdom [of Great Britain and Northern 
> Ireland] as far as ISO 3166 is concerned
> 
> You write:  "United Kingdom (UK) includes part of Ireland"
> and "Great Britain (GB) excludes Ireland" - the fallacy here 
> is that you are taking GB to mean something different than it 
> means in the narrow context of ISO 3166 - which is only a 
> standard for codes representing Country Names - not anything else.
> 
> In ISO 3166, "GB" obviously refers to the country "United 
> Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" not simply 
> "Great Britain" - After all there currently no recognized 
> legal country entity consisting only of Wales, Scotland and 
> England - so why would it have an ISO 3166 code?
> 
> ISO 3166 seems to have derived the code from the first 
> letters of the middle two words of the name of the country 
> but you want to change this to the first letters of the first 
> two words.
> 
> What's the benefit? At least the way things are, if in a few 
> years Northern Ireland merges with the Republic of Ireland 
> [IE] (or if "the UK" becomes a republic), ISO 3166 won't have 
> to change the code for what remains of GB.
> 
> Anyway I'm sure most ga pages that are tagged are tagged ga 
> or ga-ie - Do you actually know of any tagged ga-gb? Maybe 
> ga-gb could be used for ga speakers living in places like Kilburn NW6?
> 
> - Chris Fynn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Marion Gunn wrote:
> > Trying to silence discussion never solved a problem, Doug.
> > 
> > These are the facts:
> > 1. 
> > 2. United Kingdom (UK) includes part of Ireland.
> > 3. Inability/refusal to accept that difference also tends to mark 
> > people unable/unwilling to accept the difference between Iran and 
> > Iraq.:-(
> > 
> > The specific importance of such difference to laguage tag 
> matters may 
> > be thus illustrated:
> > 4. ga-uk, gd-uk, cy-uk, en-uk all make sense; 5. gd-gb, 
> cy-gb, en-gb 
> > also make sense; 6. ga-gb makes no sense (see 1 above).
> > 7. ga-gb is very misleading (ditto).
> > 
> > Can anyone say who are the members of ISO 3166/RA, and what 
> position 
> > each of those individuals took on the misleading nature of 
> ga-gb when 
> > their most recent debate on this matter took place, Doug?
> > mg
> > 
> > On 19 Feb 2007, at 20:53, scríobh Doug Ewell:
> > 
> >> Marion Gunn <mgunn at egt dot ie> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>> Inevitably en-uk.
> >>>
> >>> Instinctively.
> >>>
> >>
> >> When ISO 3166/MA withdraws GB as their code element for United 
> >> Kingdom and assigns UK in its place, we can have this discussion.
> > 
> > - -
> > Marion Gunn * EGTeo (Estab.1991)
> > 27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn, Baile an
> > Bhóthair, Co. Átha Cliath, Éire.
> > * mgunn at egt.ie * eamonn at egt.ie *
> > 
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> > 
> > 
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