Re: Montenegrin

Peter Constable wrote:

> The ISO 639-RA/JAC is processing a request from the National Library
> of Montenegro to encode “Montenegrin” in ISO 639-2. This has been
> requested before, but on previous occasions there wasn’t much support
> for it. This time, though, the level of interest appears to be on the
> rise.

This is being requested through the JAC, not through ISO 639-3/RA,
correct? That would explain why it doesn't appear on the 639-3 change
request pages.

The 639-2 process is less transparent than 639-3; there doesn't appear
to be any publicly available repository of requests. Maybe that path was
chosen intentionally.

> It’s not clear to me how the changing sentiment much is influenced by
>
> (i) Perception that this really is a distinct language.

I agree with Han Steenwijk on this: if they can demonstrate this within
the applicable working definitions -- not with appeals to national pride
or political independence, and not by citing the new letters that were
invented specifically to lend credence to the "separate language"
argument -- only then should a new code element be granted.

> (ii) Feeling that it’s no more or less a distinct language than
> Serbian vs. Croatian vs. Bosnian, and that it’s not appropriate to
> bias against this one.

Is that a working model of the JAC, that once an error is made in
disunifying language codes, the floodgates are open? I would hope not.
It's not a question of "bias against."

> (iii) Feeling tired of the issue and assuming there’s no real harm to
> encoding, so we’ll be better off putting this behind us.

Again, one would hope that exhaustion does not become an acceptable
strategy for proposals.

Mark Davis replied to the last point:

> I do believe the end result of giving their dialect a language code
> will be counterproductive, since there is already a code for
> expressing what they have: sr-ME.

Yep. It would be helpful if the community were required to indicate what
it is about "sr-ME" that doesn't meet their needs.
 
--
Doug Ewell | Thornton, CO, US | ewellic.org


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