Montenegrin

[Leif Halvard Silli]

John Cowan, Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:32:56 -0400:
> Leif Halvard Silli scripsit:

>> So, there we can identify a proposal for 'sh': Add 'Neo-Shtokavian'
>> as a name synonymous with Serbo-Croatian.
> 
> That would be tantamount to narrowing the semantic scope of a subtag,
> which we are not allowed to do.

If 'sr' covers Stokavian and Torlakian - and according to Etnologue, it 
does - the 'sh' must also cover those - as well as the dialects covered 
by 'bs' and 'hr'.  So, in other words, 'de' covers German dialects as 
well. I've earlier understood that it only covered standard German.

I now need to reexamine the dialog between you and Joan (ISO639-3@):

Joan: [1]

]] "Standard forms" would seem to be the more appropriate interpretation
of [bs / bos] ; [hr / hrv] ; and [sr / srp], as opposed to "all the
varieties of this language as spoken in Bosnia ; Croatia ; Serbia," but 
that
interpretation seems to be at the heart of the matter. [[

And you replied: [2]

]] Quite so.  Indeed, all four standard languages are derived from the 
same
original spoken form, the East Hercegovinian form of the Neo-Shtokavian
dialect of "Our Language". [[

Here you both associated sr/hr/bs with the respective "standard forms" 
of each.

Joan continued: [1]

]] The standard forms clearly do not collectively encompass all 
   that the Serbo-Croatian code element encompasses. [[

And you replied: [2] 

]] Indeed not: the Old Shtokavian, Kajkavian, and Chakavian dialects
are part of the overall diasystem, but excluded from standardization.
(Standard Bosnian has some Old Shtokavian features, at least in 
theory.) [[

This made it sound as if you both agreed to "dump" everything that did 
not fit into the standard forms (represented by , in the 'sh' bag.

You both also seemed to favor that Montenegring got its own primary 
subtag. You said that 'sh' could not be narrowed. Then I assume 'sr' 
cannot be narrowed. 'sr' currently appears to covers Serbian and 
Serbian dialects, including dialects forms only found in Montenegro.

[1] 
http://www.alvestrand.no/pipermail/ietf-languages/2010-June/010336.html
[2] 
http://www.alvestrand.no/pipermail/ietf-languages/2010-June/010338.html
-- 
leif halvard silli