Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 12:19:12 +0100
To: iana@ISI.EDU
From: Michael Everson <everson@indigo.ie>
Subject: Language registration (2): i-default

LANGUAGE TAG REGISTRATION FORM

Name of requester          : Harald T. Alvestrand
E-mail address of requester: Harald.Alvestrand@maxware.no
Tag to be registered       : i-default

English name of language   : Default Language Context

Native name of language (transcribed into ASCII): Default Language Context

Reference to published description of the language (book or article):
             RFC 2277
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NOTE: The Default Language Context is not a language, but a name
for a situation where the user's language preferences are unknown.
Using a language tag for this situation is a convenience for protocol
developers and users, NOT a recommendation that this should ever be
used if alternatives are available.

Text in the <i-default> context should be presented in very simple and
basic English, as this is likely to be understood by the greatest number of
people, and may be supplemented with text in other languages at need.

This clarification will be inserted into an updated version of
RFC 2277 when that document is updated.

Below is the section of RFC 2277 that defines
Default Language.

4.5.  Default Language

   When human-readable text must be presented in a context where the
   sender has no knowledge of the recipient's language preferences (such
   as login failures or E-mailed warnings, or prior to language
   negotiation), text SHOULD be presented in Default Language.

   Default Language is assigned the tag "i-default" according to the
   procedures of RFC 1766. It is not a specific language, but rather
   identifies the condition where the language preferences of the user
   cannot be established.

   Messages in Default Language MUST be understandable by an English-
   speaking person, since English is the language which, worldwide, the
   greatest number of people will be able to get adequate help in
   interpreting when working with computers.

   Note that negotiating English is NOT the same as Default Language;
   Default Language is an emergency measure in otherwise unmanageable
   situations.

   In many cases, using only English text is reasonable; in some cases,
   the English text may be augumented by text in other languages.