ietf-822
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: A spec for showing language in MIME headers

1993-11-11 14:11:39
Harald writes:

One word only:
From private communication, I have been told to expect the
revised version of ISO 639 sometime in 1995.

We can hope for that but, unfortunately, not expect it. The
somewhat depressing facts are these:

The existing ISO 639:1988 for two-letter codes is primarily
designed for "use in terminology, lexicography and linguistics",
but "may be used for any application requiring the expression of
languages in coded form" (section 1). It was prepared by
ISO/TC37/SC2 (Terminology -- Layout of vocabularies).

An earlier committee draft for three-letter langauge codes with
the designation ISO CD 11639 failed in the voting for draft
international standard (DIS), probably in 1992. A second
attempt was made with the revised ISO CD 639-2 (dated
1993-01-06). This draft was the culmination of "more than four
years of intense collaboration between representatives of
TC37/SC2 and TC46/SC4 [Information and documentation -- Computer
applications] to articulate a language code list which
accomodates the needs of information specialists, managers of
bibliographic services, and librarians" (from the Introductory
note to CD 693-2).

Not only was CD 639-2 disapproved in the national body vote
this spring, the climate of co-operation between the two ISO TCs
involved has deteriorated. The report of SC4 to the Plenary
meeting of ISO/TC46 in Berlin 1993-05-14 says: "SC4 being
repsonsible for automation was forced to conclude that the
language code work being currently progressed was confusing for
users because of the alternative codes and will have a negative
impact on future interoperability in the information community.
SC4 thus has decided to withdraw from this joint effort."

/Olle