gender voice variants

[Michael Everson]

Musing.

A language tag applied to a run of text tells the any person or process "This text is in the English language" and a subtag might make precise for instance that "This English text is in Oxford spelling".

A voice tag applied to a run of text tells a computer "Read this text aloud in a woman's voice". A voice tag does not change the content of any text being read out: The voice will read text from the New York Times, or a Help dialogue box equally. A voice tag selects a voice only. 

An audience tag will tell a process "Choose a set of localized strings which address me as a male or as a female". 

Some other tag whose name I can't think of will tell a process "Choose a set of localized strings which make it look as though you are talking to me as if you were a man or a woman".

A manners tag will tell a process "Use a set of localized strings which use a formal or informal register". 

Aye? Nay? 

This had all be really well thought out before we decide (in advance of industry consultation and standardization) to just load, or over-load, or mis-load, language subtags with it. What, for instance, does SC35 have to say about it? 

Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com/