# Default-locale and xml:lang

**URL:** <https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722>\
**Category:** CSL Development\
**Created:** [August 10, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722 "2009-08-10T15:01:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rintze\_Zelle1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Rintze\_Zelle1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Rintze_Zelle1)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722/1 "2009-08-10T15:01:34Z")

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Frank and I aren’t really sure about the reason that xml:lang and  
default-locale are both included in CSL. Couldn’t xml:lang be used instead  
of default-locale to indicate the style locale? And if default-locale is  
here to stay, are there any cases where xml:lang won’t be set to ‘en’?

Rintze

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**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722/2 "2009-08-10T15:09:25Z")

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It’s a little suspect for me too.

But xml:lang I believe means to apply to the content of the file. But  
there’s admittedly little, if any, language-specific content. If we  
switch to using a URI to identify the license, then there’s none I  
guess.

Bruce

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**Author:** ![Frank\_Bennett](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/frank_bennett/32/198_2.png) [@Frank\_Bennett](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Frank_Bennett)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722/3 "2009-08-14T21:04:10Z")

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> > Frank and I aren’t really sure about the reason that xml:lang and  
> > default-locale are both included in CSL. Couldn’t xml:lang be used instead  
> > of default-locale to indicate the style locale? And if default-locale is  
> > here to stay, are there any cases where xml:lang won’t be set to ‘en’?
> 
> It’s a little suspect for me too.
> 
> But xml:lang I believe means to apply to the content of the file. But  
> there’s admittedly little, if any, language-specific content. If we  
> switch to using a URI to identify the license, then there’s none I  
> guess.

Rintze and I are wondering whether xml:lang can be dropped from the  
style node, retaining default-locale to indicate the preferred  
presentation language for the style. xml:lang seems to be set  
separately on the rights node, which would cover the license language  
issue.

For the migration to 1.0, there are styles currently in the repository  
that use xml:lang set to a language other than English, with the  
intention of setting the preferred presentation language. If moving  
this preference to default-locale and dropping xml:lang from the style  
node is okay, then to cover these cases, the value of xml:lang should  
be mapped to default-locale by the update.xsl script.

Frank

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**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722/4 "2009-08-14T21:49:32Z")

</div>

> Rintze and I are wondering whether xml:lang can be dropped from the  
> style node, retaining default-locale to indicate the preferred  
> presentation language for the style.

That’s fine.

> xml:lang seems to be set  
> separately on the rights node, which would cover the license language  
> issue.

Am still wondering about using URIs for the license.

> For the migration to 1.0, there are styles currently in the repository  
> that use xml:lang set to a language other than English, with the  
> intention of setting the preferred presentation language. If moving  
> this preference to default-locale and dropping xml:lang from the style  
> node is okay, then to cover these cases, the value of xml:lang should  
> be mapped to default-locale by the update.xsl script.

Hmm … is that not rather dangerous?

Bruce

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Frank\_Bennett](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/frank_bennett/32/198_2.png) [@Frank\_Bennett](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Frank_Bennett)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/default-locale-and-xml-lang/722/5 "2009-08-14T22:21:32Z")

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> > Rintze and I are wondering whether xml:lang can be dropped from the  
> > style node, retaining default-locale to indicate the preferred  
> > presentation language for the style.
> 
> That’s fine.
> 
> > xml:lang seems to be set  
> > separately on the rights node, which would cover the license language  
> > issue.
> 
> Am still wondering about using URIs for the license.
> 
> > For the migration to 1.0, there are styles currently in the repository  
> > that use xml:lang set to a language other than English, with the  
> > intention of setting the preferred presentation language. If moving  
> > this preference to default-locale and dropping xml:lang from the style  
> > node is okay, then to cover these cases, the value of xml:lang should  
> > be mapped to default-locale by the update.xsl script.
> 
> Hmm … is that not rather dangerous?

The number of exceptions is small, so you could do it by hand as well.  
Only nine styles are affected: one French, two Spanish, and six  
German. Here’s the list, for reference:

harvard7de.csl  
immunity.csl  
law1\_de.csl  
mhra\_note\_without\_bibliography.csl  
sp-legal.csl  
tah-gkw.csl  
tah-leviathan.csl  
tah-soz.csl  
vienna-legal.csl

Frank