ISO INTERNATIONAL STANDARD 639 Second edition 2023-11 Code for individual languages and language groups Code pour les langues individuelles et les groupes de langues Reference number IS0 639:2023(E) Tso @ IS0 2023 IS0 639:2023(E) COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT @IS02023 All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on or ISo's member body in the country of the requester. ISO copyright office CP 401 · Ch. de Blandonnet 8 CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva Phone: +41 22 749 01 11 Email: [email protected] Website: www.iso.org Published in Switzerland ii @ IS0 2023 - All rights reserved IS0 639:2023(E) Contents Page Foreword. ..V Introduction. ..vi 1 Scope. ..1 2 Normative references 3 Terms and definitions ..1 3.1 Terms related to language and individual languages. 1 3.2 Terms related to linguistic variation and language varieties. ..3 3.3 Terms related to types of individual languages subject to language coding. 4 3.4 Terms related to language groups subject to language coding .6 3.5 Terms related to modalities of language use .6 3.6 Terms related to written representation of individual languages. 7 3.7 Terms related to language coding and naming languages. .8 4 Linguistic variation and fundamental concepts of identifying and categorizing individual languages .10 4.1 General. .10 4.2 Linguistic variation. .10 4.2.1 Criteria and dimensions of linguistic variation .. 10 4.2.2 Identification and types of individual languages and language groups ..12 4.3 Individual languages and writing conventions. 5 The IS0 639 language code ..14 5.1 Introduction to the ISO 639 language code . 14 5.2 Sets of language identifiers 5.3 Language code elements and their structural components. 14 5.4 Language identifiers .15 5.5 Language reference names... .. 15 5.6 Language names in English and French. .16 5.7 Code element scopes and local-use language identifiers. .. 16 5.7.1 Types of code element scopes .16 5.7.2 Code element scope of individual-language code elements ..16 5.7.3 Code element scope of macrolanguage code elements. .16 5.7.4 Code element scope of language-group code elements. 5.7.5 Code element scope of special-purpose code elements .17 5.7.6 Local-uselanguageidentifiers 18 5.8 Language code maintenance.. .18 5.8.1 Basic rules for language code maintenance ..18 5.8.2 Language code maintenance activities. ..18 5.9 Adoption of language code elements into other standards. 6 Criteria for language coding and naming languages ..20 6.1 Information to be considered in language coding and naming languages .20 6.1.1 Pertinent reference sources 20 6.1.2 Information necessary to identify and name individual languages and language groups 20 6.2 Eligibility for language coding. 21 6.2.1 Eligibility of an individual language for language coding 21 6.2.2 Eligibility of an extinct language or historical language for language coding. 22 6.2.3 Eligibility of a constructed language for language coding. 22 6.2.4 Eligibility of a macrolanguage for language coding .22 6.2.5 Eligibility of a language group for language coding. .23 6.2.6 Criteria for the eligibility of individual languages for language coding in Set 2 23 6.3 Principles governing the assignment of language reference names. .23 6.4 Formation, disambiguation and presentation of language reference names. .24 IS0 2023 - All rights reserved iii