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Re: XML Core WG needs input on xml:lang=""

• To: xml-dev@l...
• Subject: Re: XML Core WG needs input on xml:lang=""
• From: Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo@m...>
• Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 17:08:47 -0400
• Cc: xml-editor@w...
• In-reply-to: <200208021250.IAA04847@m...>
• References: <200208021250.IAA04847@m...>

At 8:37 AM -0400 8/2/02, John Cowan wrote:

>By the present rules, there is no way to express the fact that the
>content of the pre element is not in English.  (Computer languages are out
>of scope for RFC 3066 and have no codes.)
>

It should be noted that xml:lang="" is legal today under XML 1.0. It 
is not malformed. Its validity depends completely on the DTD, but it 
is not de facto invalid. A parser that issues a fatal error on 
encountering this would itself be incorrect.

The XML 1.0 specification defines no semantic meaning for 
xml:lang="", but honestly xml:lang is one of the few places where XML 
can be said to define any semantics at all.

I am not convinced that any change is required to the existing spec. 
The question of how to interpret the contents of the xml:lang 
attribute is one for local processes.
-- 

+-----------------------+------------------------+-------------------+
| Elliotte Rusty Harold | elharo@m... | Writer/Programmer |
+-----------------------+------------------------+-------------------+
|          XML in a  Nutshell, 2nd Edition (O'Reilly, 2002)          |
|              http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/xian2/              |
|  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0596002920/cafeaulaitA/  |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------------+
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• References:
  • XML Core WG needs input on xml:lang=""
    • From: John Cowan <jcowan@r...>

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