How do you register a project that has no ISO language code?

Question

A new team starting out with Paratext 8 project has found that their language is not listed. They are working in Nahuatl, Chiconcuautla.

It is not a variant of other Nahuatl but is related to Nahuatl, Northern Puebla (ncj).

What is the correct method to register this project in the registry?

anon109032

Answer 1

From @rdb:

For the record, languages that do not have an ISO code should use the mis code with some variant, such as mis-x-banwaon . qaa is one of the codes in the private use area and should not be used unless there is a system for registering and disambiguating codes within the private use area, which there is not, so the Registry does not allow entering qaa .

Answer 2

This may be a question for higher up the food chain, but my thinking is
that you would register it for the language ncj and then indicate that it
is a variant. This might be something that should be pursued with the
Ethnologue (thus up the food chain) to consider recognition.

Not much help - sorry.

anon848905
Americas Area Language Technology Coordinator
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Skype name: anon848905

Comments

ISO 639-3 and the Ethnologue aim to list every language. So, if “Nahuatl, Chiconcuautla” is a “language” (see definition at https://www.ethnologue.com/about/problem-language-identification) then someone should request that it be listed by following the procedure at http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/submit_changes.asp.

This procedure takes up to a year, so in the meantime you’ll have to enter something in Paratext, so you could use the ISO 639-3 code for the closest related language, which would presumably be Nahuatl, Northern Puebla [ncj] in this case.

Alternatively, you might be able to use a code from the “Private Use Area” (any code between “qaa” and “qtz”), but this could have implications for the Paratext registry—i.e. conflicts arising from two languages from different parts of the world both picking the same PUA code.

Blessings,
LivingField

Answer 3

“qaa” is the recognized code for “language not listed”. If you can specify the entire language tag, then “qaa-x-lang” would be more descriptive, where “lang” is the up-to-8-character private use area to label your language. Of course, talking to the ethnologue folks is a good idea so you can move toward getting a recognized code.