Region subtags under 3066 and 3066bis

Frank Ellermann nobody at xyzzy.claranet.de
Fri Feb 18 05:27:45 CET 2005


Doug Ewell wrote:

> GG (Guernsey) and JE (Jersey) are covered by 830 (Channel
> Islands)

Okay, I found 830 on the page:
<http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm>

You probably copy all these codes to your registry, and if the
UN later removes a code it's still available in the registry.
When they'll reach 999 they will pray continue with 1000 etc.
and not try to recycle old codes.  That part should be clear.

> IM (Isle of Man) is covered by 833.

Let's hope that they find "gv" before experimenting with 833.
Maybe add a comment in your list, that alpha-3 codes are only
listed if there was no alpha-2 code when this registry "was"
(= will be) started.  And therefore I won't find "glv".

> Having to hunt down a reference to a withdrawn ISO 3166 code
> element (not available for free from ISO) would be a recipe
> for trouble.

That's why I'm unhappy with the NH example in the draft and its
reference to the 3rd edition of ISO 3166:  The "free" list is
the actual list of the 5th edition.  Your collection of regions
contains numerous codes I've never before heard of (e.g. PU).

> See http://users.adelphia.net/~dewell/lstreg.html for a
> proposed "initial state."  This is all subject to review and
> debate, of course.

Okay, some observations:

The deprecated FQ could get a canonical TF.  It's useless, why
    fr-FQ for "French as in Kerguelen" if there is "fr-TF" ?

The deprecated BQ could be AQ or HM or GS (TBD, I often
    confuse the Australian and the British territories).
    Same problem as with FQ, BQ is useless for languages.

The deprecated PU could get a canonical UM (minus one
    uninhabited Carribean "Navassa Island", see the CIA
    world fact book for Midway, Wake, etc.).  Maybe it's
    fun to use en-UM instead of en-US, but who needs en-PU ?

The deprecated NT is useless in a registry about languages.

The deprecated NQ has the same problem as BQ, FQ, and PU,
    a canonical code for NQ is BV (of course uninhabited).
    The US among others never acknowledged these Antarctic
    ?Q territories (BQ, FQ, NQ).

The deprecated DD has a canonical DE.  In theory de-DD could
make sense, but that would be also the moment where I'd want
a region code for say Wales.

The deprecated CT has a canonical KI.
The deprecated FX has a canonical FR.
The deprecated JT has a canonical UM (same idea as for PU).
The deprecated MI has a canonical UM (same idea as for PU).
The deprecated PC has a canonical PW (maybe PW and FM)
The deprecated PZ has a canonical PA (same idea as for DD).
The deprecated VD has a canonical VN (same idea as for DD).
The deprecated YD has a canonical YE (same idea as for DD).

You have a "changed RH" for ZW, how old is your source ?  That
was long before RfC 1766 was published, it's ancient history.

Is the "official" name of Macedonia really still "FYROM" ?

Some "gradfathered" codes:
Is i-default different from "und" (alpha-3) ?

i-klingon has "tlh" in the comment (6th column), why not in the
5th column (canonical) ?  I know that it's not yet in the 3066
registry, but that's only a bug, or isn't it ?

Same problem with i-lux vs. lb.  In that case it is already in
the 3066 registry.  Navajo also belongs to this group.

> It extends 3066 in this regard by re-allowing BU, DD, FX, NH,
> SU, TP, YU, and ZR.

If it was invalid under RfC 1766 in 1996 please get rid of it.

                        Bye, Frank




More information about the Ietf-languages mailing list