Update to the Language Subtag Registry
RFC 5645

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Network Working Group                                      D. Ewell, Ed.
Request for Comments: 5645                                    Consultant
Category: Informational                                   September 2009

                 Update to the Language Subtag Registry

Abstract

   This memo defines the procedure used to update the IANA Language
   Subtag Registry, in conjunction with the publication of RFC 5646, for
   use in forming tags for identifying languages.

Status of This Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2009 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents in effect on the date of
   publication of this document (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
   2.  Updating the Registry  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
     2.1.  Starting Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
     2.2.  New Language Subtags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
     2.3.  Modified Language Subtags  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     2.4.  New Region Subtags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     2.5.  Grandfathered and Redundant Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     2.6.  Preferred-Value Changes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     2.7.  Additional Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
   3.  Updated Registry Contents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   4.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   5.  IANA Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   6.  References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     6.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     6.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   Appendix A.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Ewell                        Informational                      [Page 1]
RFC 5645         Update to the Language Subtag Registry   September 2009

1.  Introduction

   [RFC4646] provides for a Language Subtag Registry and describes its
   format.  The initial contents of the registry and rules for
   determining them are specified in [RFC4645].

   [RFC5646] expands on [RFC4646] by adding support for approximately
   7,500 new primary and extended language subtags based on [ISO639-3]
   and [ISO639-5] alpha-3 code elements, and seven new region subtags
   based on [ISO3166-1] exceptionally reserved code elements.  This memo
   describes the process of updating the registry to include these
   additional subtags and to make secondary changes to the registry that
   result from adding the new subtags and from other decisions made by
   the Language Tag Registry Update (LTRU) Working Group.

   In writing this document, a complete replacement of the contents of
   the Language Subtag Registry was provided to the Internet Assigned
   Numbers Authority (IANA) to record the necessary updates.

   The format of the Language Subtag Registry as well as the definition
   and intended purpose of each of the fields are described in
   [RFC5646].

   The registry is expected to change over time, as new subtags are
   registered and existing subtags are modified or deprecated.  The
   process of updating the registry is described in Section 3 of
   [RFC5646].

   Many of the subtags defined in the Language Subtag Registry are based
   on code elements defined in [ISO639-1], [ISO639-2], [ISO639-3],
   [ISO639-5], [ISO3166-1], [ISO15924], and [UN_M.49].  The registry is
   not a mirror of the code lists defined by these standards and should
   not be used as one.

2.  Updating the Registry

   This section describes the process for determining the updated
   contents of the Language Subtag Registry.

2.1.  Starting Point

   The version of the Language Subtag Registry that was current at the
   time of IESG approval of this memo served as the starting point for
   this update.  This version was created according to the process
   described in [RFC4645] and maintained according to the process
   described in [RFC4646].

Ewell                        Informational                      [Page 2]
RFC 5645         Update to the Language Subtag Registry   September 2009

   The source data for [ISO639-3] used for this update consisted of
   three files, available from the official site of the ISO 639-3
   Registration Authority.  (Note that this file is updated from time to
   time.  The version used in the preparation of this memo was the one
   in place on February 24, 2009.)