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8. Details of Individual Metadata Elements
8.32 Language
Attributes
Attribute
Value
Identifying Attributes
Name
language
Label
Language
Defined by
Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, v1.1
http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/
Element URI
http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/language
Definitional Attributes
DC Definition
A language of the intellectual content of the resource.
DC Comment
Recommended best practice is to use RFC 3066 [RFC3066], which, in conjunction with ISO 639 [ISO639], defines two- and three-letter primary language tags with optional subtags. Examples include "en" or "eng" for English, "akk" for Akkadian, and "en-GB" for English used in the United Kingdom.
Purpose
To limit search results sets to records of a particular language(s).
Rationale
"A useable record is one that can be located, retrieved, presented and interpreted." ISO International Standard 15489-1, 7.2.5
"The primary purpose of registration is to provide evidence that a record has been created or captured in a records system, and an additional benefit is that it facilitates retrieval. It involves recording brief descriptive information or metadata about the record …." ISO International Standard 15489-1, s. 9.4
"Metadata should be used to identify records and facilitate their retrievability and usability in records systems. A records system should provide ready access to all relevant records and their related metadata." ISO Technical Specification 23081-1, s. 9.2.3
"Ongoing description is necessary to keep the records meaningful for use." ISO Technical Specification 23081-1, s. 9.2.3.2
Value Domain
Enumerated three-character strings representing the names of languages.
Datatype Name
String
Constraint
Applicable at record level only
Obligation
Mandatory at record level.
Relational Attributes
Encoding Scheme(s)
ISO 639-2 - Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages, Part 2, as adopted by TBITS 39: Treasury Board Information Management Standard, Part 1: Government On-Line Metadata Standard
References
Linkages
-
Conditions of Application - Record
Format
Text, three letter code from encoding scheme.
Modifiable
Pre Record Declared Locked
Post Record Declared Locked
Yes
No
Occurrence
Repeatable
Conditions of Application - File
Format
-
Modifiable
-
Occurrence
-
Comments and Guidance
a) Explanation of Definition/Usage
This element is used to indicate all languages represented in the content of the record - not the official language(s) of the institution in whose repository the record is located.
b) Best Practices
If the record contains more than one language, repeat the element Language using the corresponding code for each language.
The use of this element supports the Government of Canada's Common Look and Feel Standard 6.3.
Recommended best practice is to select a value from ISO 639-2 - Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages, Part 2. The three-character language codes are to be used.
Once a record is declared locked, the value of this element may not change since the content of the record will remain stable.
c) Obligation
This element is mandatory in order to determine the language of the content. This assists in search and retrieval.
d) Default Values/Auto-populate
The value of this element could be defaulted based on the language of the user, and the settings in the authoring tools. This assumes that the working language of the user (i.e. the Creator) will be the language of the content of the record.
e) Linkages
None
f) Examples
- "fre"
- "eng"
- "spa"
- "ara"
