[Ltru] 2.2.1: definition of "primary language subtag"

[Peter Constable <petercon at microsoft.com>]

This wording is somewhat vague:

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The primary language subtag is the first subtag in a language tag (with the exception of private use and certain grandfathered tags) and cannot be omitted.
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It's not clear if that statement is intended as a definition of "primary language subtag", or as a descriptive statement. If the former, then that defition is vague (*which* grandfathered tags?). If the latter, then "primary language subtag" is nowhere defined.

I assume it's intended as a definition. For that, I suggest the following alternate wording:


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The primary language subtag is the first subtag in the language production of the ABNF shown in Section 2.1:

language      = 2*3ALPHA            ; shortest ISO 639 code
                ["-" extlang]       ; sometimes followed by
                                    ;   extended language subtags
              / 4ALPHA              ; or reserved for future use
              / 5*8ALPHA            ; or registered language subtag

Except in the case of private-use tags and certain grandfathered tags, the primary language subtag cannot be omitted.
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Then, in points 1 to 8 that follow, there is inconsistency in wording: in some places "primary language subtag"; in other places, "language subtag"; and in others, just "subtags". Better consistency would be good, though not essential, except that I would change "primary subtag" in 6 and 8 to "first subtag": "primary subtag" is too confusable with "primary language subtag", which 6 and 8 are *not* referring to.



Peter
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