Re: [Slim] Issue 43: How to know the modality of a language indication?

[Randall Gellens <[e-mail]>]

At 1:46 PM -0700 10/13/17, Bernard Aboba wrote:

>  Issue 43 ( 
> <https://trac.ietf.org/trac/slim/ticket/43>https://trac.ietf.org/trac/slim/ticket/43 
> ) results from a review comment that said that a simple way is 
> required to decide if a language tag is a sign language or a 
> written or spoken language.
>
>  Some applications scan the IANA language registry at startup for 
> the word "Sign" in the tag description:
> 
> <https://www.iana.org/assignments/language-subtag-registry/language-subtag-registry>https://www.iana.org/assignments/language-subtag-registry/language-subtag-registry
>
>
>  Currently, there are 319 language subtags that include "Sign 
> Language" in their description. 
>
>  Given the current layout of the language subtag registry, it is not 
> clear to me that there is an easier way to determine which tags 
> represent sign languages.  Nor is it within the SLIM WG charter to 
> develop a modification to the language subtag registry to address 
> this concern. 
>
>  So I am wondering whether we might resolve this with a Note 
> outlining the problem but not offering a solution. 

I think the wording in -14 addresses the comment by accepting Dale's 
suggestion that, rather than know non-signed tags, it's the use of 
the exact same tag in both an audio and a video stream that is the 
indicator.  That both tightens up the technical issue and simplifies 
it greatly.

The only other instance where we might add such a note would be in 5.4:

5.4.  Undefined Combinations

    With the exception of the case mentioned in Section 5.2 (an audio
    stream in parallel with a video stream with the exact same (spoken)
    language tag), the behavior when specifying a non-signed language tag
    for a video media stream, or a signed language tag for an audio or
    text media stream, is not defined.

We could add your suggested note to 5.4.

-- 
Randall Gellens
Opinions are personal;    facts are suspect;    I speak for myself only
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Leisure for men of business, and business for men of leisure would
cure many complaints.                         --Esther L.S. Thrale