Ietf-languages Digest, Vol 74, Issue 1
Anthony Aristar
aristar at linguistlist.org
Sat Feb 21 15:51:15 CET 2009
Good to hear this, but unfortunately the ISO 639-5 standard is really a
problem.
First, it is, like the original 639-1, so small as to be relatively
useless. The fact that it can be expanded through the normal change
process is not very useful: it will take a *LONG* time to get
everything in that we as linguists need. I might note that, as of
today, we are using well over 2200 subgrouping codes in our MultiTree
project--and the number keeps going up-- and the 110 codes that are in
the 639-5 set are a twentieth of that, In addition, the code-set is a
mish-mash that is very reminiscent of the mess that ISO 639-1/2 were
before ISO 639-3 came along: it has geographical groupings mixed up
with genetic groupings, for example, and some of the names used are
enough to make linguists cringe.
Second, the use of Alpha-3 makes the codes easily confusable with ISO
639-3 . I know of at least one project that simply wont use them
because of this.
Anyway, we need a real set of subgrouping codes, but to my knowledge the
attempt to produce one has stalled...
--
**************************************
Anthony Aristar, Director, Institute for Language & Information Technology
Professor of Linguistics Moderator, LINGUIST Linguistics Program
Dept. of English aristar at linguistlist.org
Eastern Michigan University 2000 Huron River Dr, Suite 104
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
U.S.A.
URL: http://linguistlist.org/aristar/
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. ISO 639-5 code list is available (Rebecca S Guenther)
> 2. Re: ISO 639-5 code list is available (Doug Ewell)
>
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:19:50 -0500
> From: "Rebecca S Guenther" <rgue at loc.gov>
> Subject: ISO 639-5 code list is available
> To: <iso639 at dkuug.dk>, <ietf-languages at iana.org>
> Message-ID: <499EC83E020000680003F32E at ntgwgate.loc.gov>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> The ISO 639-5 code list (Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages. Part 5: Alpha-3 code for language families and groups) is now available from the Library of Congress, which has been designated its Registration authority:
> http://www.loc.gov:8081/standards/iso639-5/
>
> ISO 639-5 provides a code consisting of language code elements comprising three-letter language identifiers for the representation of names of living and extinct language families and groups.
>
> ISO 639-2 (Alpha-3 code) includes some language groups and language families, but by no means a complete list. The purpose of the code elements for language groups and language families in ISO 639-2 is to provide a means to register the language of a document even when the individual language in question is not included in the code table because it doesn't meet the criteria for establishing a separate code. ISO 639-5 supplements the coding of language groups and language families in ISO 639-2. However, the depth and detail of coding in ISO 639-5 is intended to support the overall language coding of the ISO 639 series of International Standards rather than provide a scientific classification of the languages of the world.
>
> The list will be maintained by the ISO 639 Joint Advisory Committee with the Library of Congress as Registration Authority.
>
>
> Rebecca S. Guenther
> Senior Networking and Standards Specialist
> Network Development and MARC Standards Office
> Library of Congress
> 101 Independence Ave. SE
> Washington, DC 20540
> Washington, DC 20540-4402
> (202) 707-5092 (voice) (202) 707-0115 (FAX)
> rgue at loc.gov
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:46:26 -0700
> From: "Doug Ewell" <doug at ewellic.org>
> Subject: Re: ISO 639-5 code list is available
> To: <ietf-languages at iana.org>
> Message-ID: <64B5831CBF164E66A1D2FC63D3CE3615 at DGBP7M81>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8";
> reply-type=original
>
> Rebecca S Guenther <rgue at loc dot gov> wrote:
>
>
>> The ISO 639-5 code list (Codes for the Representation of Names of
>> Languages. Part 5: Alpha-3 code for language families and groups) is
>> now available from the Library of Congress, which has been designated
>> its Registration authority:
>> http://www.loc.gov:8081/standards/iso639-5/
>>
>
> for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++)
> Console.WriteLine("Hip hip hooray!");
>
> --
> Doug Ewell * Thornton, Colorado, USA * RFC 4645 * UTN #14
> http://www.ewellic.org
> http://www1.ietf.org/html.charters/ltru-charter.html
> http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/listinfo/ietf-languages ?
>
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