ISO, SIL, and BCP language codes for constructed languages
Encyclopedia
This is a list of ISO 639
codes and BCP 47 language tags for individual constructed language
s, complete as of November 2009.
ISO 639-2
also has the code art for other artificial languages. BCP 47 similarly has the subtag art, which together with the subtag x can be used to create a suitable private use tag for any constructed language that has not been assigned an official language tag (e.g., art-x-solresol could be used for Solresol
, or art-x-latino-sine-flexione for Latino sine flexione
).
Note that the old SIL language identifiers (usually written in capitals) are officially obsoleted and should no longer be used. SIL International
now uses ISO 639-3 language codes (and is acting as the Registration Authority for maintaining and publishing its associated registry) including in its most recent release of The Ethnologue
report. The old SIL codes are no longer supported and will no longer be updated.
The IANA Language Subtags Registry (for IETF’s language tags defined in BCP 47) has also been updated on 29 July 2009 to include all ISO 639-3 and ISO 639-5 identifiers for individual languages, macro-languages and language collections (only those that were valid at this time, excluding those that were just drafted and still not approved, as well as those that were already retired or those with a pending retirement which was still not immediately applicable).
ISO 639
ISO 639 is a set of standards by the International Organization for Standardization that is concerned with representation of names for language and language groups....
codes and BCP 47 language tags for individual constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
s, complete as of November 2009.
ISO 639-2
ISO 639-2
ISO 639-2:1998, Codes for the representation of names of languages — Part 2: Alpha-3 code, is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages. The three-letter codes given for each language in this part of the standard are referred to as...
also has the code art for other artificial languages. BCP 47 similarly has the subtag art, which together with the subtag x can be used to create a suitable private use tag for any constructed language that has not been assigned an official language tag (e.g., art-x-solresol could be used for Solresol
Solresol
Solresol is an artificial language devised by François Sudre, beginning in 1827. He published his major book on it, Langue musicale universelle, in 1866, though he had already been publicizing it for some years...
, or art-x-latino-sine-flexione for Latino sine flexione
Latino sine Flexione
Latino sine flexione , or Peano’s Interlingua , is an international auxiliary language invented by the Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano in 1903. It is a simplified version of Latin, and retains its vocabulary...
).
Note that the old SIL language identifiers (usually written in capitals) are officially obsoleted and should no longer be used. SIL International
SIL International
SIL International is a U.S.-based, worldwide, Christian non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages,...
now uses ISO 639-3 language codes (and is acting as the Registration Authority for maintaining and publishing its associated registry) including in its most recent release of The Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
report. The old SIL codes are no longer supported and will no longer be updated.
The IANA Language Subtags Registry (for IETF’s language tags defined in BCP 47) has also been updated on 29 July 2009 to include all ISO 639-3 and ISO 639-5 identifiers for individual languages, macro-languages and language collections (only those that were valid at this time, excluding those that were just drafted and still not approved, as well as those that were already retired or those with a pending retirement which was still not immediately applicable).
List of codes
| Language | ISO 639-1 | ISO 639-2 | ISO 639-3 |
BCP 47 | old SIL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afrihili Afrihili Afrihili is a constructed language designed in 1970 by Ghanaian historian K. A. Kumi Attobrah to be used as a lingua franca in all of Africa. The name of the language is a combination of Africa and Swahili... |
afh | afh | afh | ||
| Blissymbols Blissymbols Blissymbols or Blissymbolics was conceived as an ideographic writing system called Semantography consisting of several hundred basic symbols, each representing a concept, which can be composed together to generate new symbols that represent new concepts... |
zbl | zbl | zbl | ||
| Brithenig Brithenig Brithenig is an invented language, or constructed language . It was created as a hobby in 1996 by Andrew Smith from New Zealand, who also invented the alternate history of Ill Bethisad to "explain" it.... |
bzt | bzt | |||
| Dutton Speedwords Dutton Speedwords Dutton Speedwords , sometimes called rapmotz, is an international auxiliary language as well a shorthand writing system. It was invented by Reginald J. G. Dutton in 1922. It was first published in 1935 under the title International Symbolic Script and a year later using the name Speedwords... |
dws | dws | |||
| Enochian Enochian Enochian is a name often applied to an occult or angelic language recorded in the private journals of John Dee and his seer Edward Kelley in the late 16th century. The men claimed that it was revealed to them by angels... |
i-enochian | ||||
| Esperanto Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887... |
eo | epo | epo | eo | ESP |
| Europanto Europanto Europanto is a macaronic language concept with a fluid vocabulary from multiple European languages of the user's choice or need. It was conceived in 1996 by Diego Marani based on the common practice of word-borrowing usage of many EU Languages... |
eur | EUR | |||
| Ido Ido Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages... |
io | ido | ido | io | |
| Interglossa Interglossa The auxiliary language Interglossa was devised by the scientist Lancelot Hogben during World War II. It appears to be a straightforward attempt to put the international lexicon of science and technology, mainly of Greek and Latin origin, into a language with a purely isolating grammar. Interglossa... |
igs | igs | |||
| Interlingua Interlingua Interlingua is an international auxiliary language , developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association... (IALA) |
ia | ina | ina | ia | INR |
| Interlingue (former Occidental) | ie | ile | ile | ie | |
| Klingon Klingon language The Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe.... |
tlh | tlh | tlh i-klingon |
||
| Kotava | avk | avk | |||
| Láadan Láadan Láadan is a constructed language created by Suzette Haden Elgin in 1982 to test the Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis, specifically to determine if development of a language aimed at expressing the views of women would shape a culture; a subsidiary hypothesis was that Western natural languages may be better... |
ldn | ldn | |||
| Lingua Franca Nova Lingua Franca Nova Lingua Franca Nova is an auxiliary constructed language created by Dr. C. George Boeree of Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania. Its vocabulary is based on the Romance languages French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Catalan. The grammar is highly reduced and similar to the Romance creoles... |
lfn | lfn | |||
| Lojban Lojban See also discussed by Arthur Protin, Bob LeChevalier, Carl Burke, Doug Landauer, Guy Steele, Jack Waugh, Jeff Prothero, Jim Carter, and Robert Chassell, as well as , the concepts which "average English speakers won't recognize" because most of them "have no exact English counterpart".Like most... |
jbo | jbo | jbo art-lojban |
||
| Novial Novial Novial [nov- + IAL, International Auxiliary Language] is a constructed international auxiliary language intended to facilitate international communication and friendship, without displacing anyone's native language... |
nov | nov | |||
| Quenya Quenya Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves... |
qya | qya | |||
| Romanova | rmv | rmv | |||
| Sindarin Sindarin Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin.... |
sjn | sjn | |||
| Volapük Volapük Volapük is a constructed language, created in 1879–1880 by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Roman Catholic priest in Baden, Germany. Schleyer felt that God had told him in a dream to create an international language. Volapük conventions took place in 1884 , 1887 and 1889 . The first two conventions used... |
vo | vol | vol | vo |
External links
- List of ISO 639-1 and ISO 639-2 codes on the website of the ISO 639-2 Registration Authority
- ISO 639 code tables on the website of the ISO 639-3 Registration Authority
- IANA Language Subtag Registry for IETF's language tags defined in BCP 47
- List of constructed languages on The Linguist List
Related articles
- Language codeLanguage codeA language code is a code that assigns letters and/or numbers as identifiers or classifiers for languages. These codes may be used to organize library collections or presentations of data, to choose the correct localizations and translations in computing, and as a shorthand designation for longer...
- IETF language tag (BCP 47)
- ISO 639ISO 639ISO 639 is a set of standards by the International Organization for Standardization that is concerned with representation of names for language and language groups....