639-3 updates

[John Cowan]

Doug Ewell scripsit:

> What is the estimated timeline for ISO 639 JAC to finalize these 
> "post-preliminary" changes to the code list?  I'm asking from the 
> standpoint of using them to generate a new draft-4645bis.

This isn't a direct reply, but it's a factor that should be taken
into account.

639-3/RA (i.e. SIL) has said that it will announce in July the
outcome of 129 change requests (the list closed as of March), some
of which affect us:  for example, 2006-044 merges Yinglish into
English, retiring 'yib'; 2006-001 splits Belgian Sign language into
French Belgian Sign and Dutch Belgian Sign, retiring 'bvs'; and
2006-129 converts Catalan into a macrolanguage, encompassing
"Catalan (individual language)" and "Valencian".

IMHO it would be way better if we waited to find out which of these
changes go through and which don't, so that we don't end up adding
records to the LSR only to deprecate them immediately thereafter.
Remember that if 639-3/RA makes a change, we *must* follow them;
there is no choice in the matter by the terms of 4646bis.

-- 
How they ever reached any  conclusion at all    <cowan at ccil.org>
is starkly unknowable to the human mind.        http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
        --"Backstage Lensman", Randall Garrett