I missed the context on this, but fwiw, I agree with Debbie that the context
of use is important. If you set up a database you might also be able to
present the list dynamically to suit the preference - top 10, alpha,
regional and some ranking or alpha, endangered, etc. 

Question of time & money to set up and "populate" the dbase, but once it is,
the rest should be easier and more fun.

Here are three examples of particular approaches that may be of interest for
comparison or discussion (or maybe not, but here they are anyway):

The Locale Generator - http://www.it46.se/localegen/ 
(list of languages for creation of locales from ISO/FDIS 636-3 - needs to be
amended IMO; country is selected after language)

Wikipedia - http://www.wikipedia.org/
(obviously not a database but they have classed the language pages by number
of articles; one could of course list languages in classes like this by
speakership, region, language family, ...)

Wiki on African localization with pages on Countries and Major Languages -
http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/ 
(there is a page for other languages too, but the main list is limited; this
is not a dbase, but a format that permits access to and collection of info
in different ways)

Don


-----Original Message-----
From: ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no
[mailto:ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no] On Behalf Of Debbie Garside
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 6:47 AM
To: ltru@ietf.org; ietf-languages@iana.org; 'John Cowan'
Subject: RE: Language picking

Not bad :-)

But, in this instance, I would add... Display the top 10 languages by
population/speakers followed by others in alphabetical order. 

I think it would be useful to discuss the various uses.  In other words,
look at the end product first.  Which industries do we think will be using
this data and in what way?  For instance, pick lists on web sites for Joe
Public to navigate, the needs of archivists and libraries who may well need
a more linguistic/relational style approach, web designers, software
designers who are interested in ascertaining the locale, etc. etc. Each may
have different priorities. 

Best 

Debbie 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no
> [mailto:ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no] On Behalf Of John Cowan
> Sent: 06 October 2006 06:43
> To: ltru@ietf.org; ietf-languages@iana.org
> Subject: OT: Language picking
> 
> Well, here's the idea I came up with.  Feel free to pick holes in it.
> 
> First, a list of countries to choose from.  This list is long, but 
> people are used to it, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
> 
> Next, a couple of lists to choose one of (using radio buttons, say):
> the home languages (English for the U.K., e.g.), the indigenous living 
> languages, the dead languages, the immigrant languages.  That nails 
> down the language.
> 
> Then some more lists to choose one of; the generic form of the 
> language (no country code), the form used in the country you picked in 
> the first place, other countries where the language is used, other 
> countries where supposedly it isn't used.
> 
> So you pick US, find English in the indigenous living languages, and 
> then you can pick en, en-us, en-* for likely countries, and then 
> oddities like en-fr, en-dk, etc.
> 
> -- 
> Real FORTRAN programmers can program FORTRAN    John Cowan
> in any language.  --Allen Brown                 cowan@ccil.org
> _______________________________________________
> Ietf-languages mailing list
> Ietf-languages@alvestrand.no
> http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/listinfo/ietf-languages
> 
> 
> 
> 




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