Request for variant subtag: western

[John Cowan]

Peter Constable scripsit:

> That raises a general question regarding generic tags of this type: is
> there an expectation that the registry would be updated to indicate a
> prefix before people start using that variant with some other language
> subtag?

A variant subtag MAY have prefix information in the registry in order
to guide its use.  There is no requirement that a variant subtag
be used only with the prefix or prefixes specified in the registry.
(Variants are unlike extlangs, which MUST have exactly one prefix
in the registry and MUST be used with that prefix only.)

> If so, then it seems like we would be choosing between these two
> options: one generic variant subtag (e.g. 'western') with
> many registry updates to add prefixes to that subtag, or multiple
> registrations for language-specific variant subtags (e.g. 'hyewest')

People who propose to use a variant subtag with a novel prefix may or
may not wish to register that use in the registry.  I'd expect that
in the long run they would not.

As for hy-hyewest, I think it's awful.

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