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The Linguasphere Observatory (French: Observatoire Linguistique, Welsh: Wylfa Ieithoedd) is a language research network. It was created in France in 1983 and is currently based in Wales. They have devised an innovative scheme of philological classification, which includes a hierarchy of relationships based partly on percentages of lexical similarity between language's core vocabularies, and also an unusual system that zigzags between genetic and geographic categories (which they call phylozones and geozones, respectively). They also promote multilingualism.

In 1999, the Linguasphere published the Linguasphere Register of the World's Languages and Speech Communities, the second edition of which is due out in 2006. Up until December 2005, the Linguasphere's director, David Dalby, has been actively involved in a linguistic concatenation project with the British Standards Institute (BSI). This project aims to provide alpha-4 code classification for every language in the world and thus standardise language coding in computer systems.

In 2006, Linguasphere began being involved with UNESCO and MAAYA, a worldwide network of linguists, in investigating the multi-lingual facets of the Internet, and studying how to promote an online presence for minor languages as well as using the Web as a means of protecting endangered languages. Though Linguasphere became defunct in 2006, GeoLang Ltd. of Wales continues with the projects started by Linguasphere.

Contents 1 Language codes 1.1 Examples 2 See also 3 External links

[edit] Language codes

The Linguasphere language code is a reference system for world languages used by the Linguasphere Observatory and published in its Linguasphere Register. It is an expansive, flexible system that relates each language or dialect with another. In this it is quite unlike the scheme used by Ethnologue, where three letter codes are unrelated mnemonics.

The first part of the Linguaspere code is a decimal classification consisting of two numerals: from 00 to 99. This part is fixed, and is a systematic framework for the classification of the world's languages. Although the classification method used in this part of the code is familiar to many linguists, unique terminology is used in the definitions in the Linguasphere Register. The first numeral of the code represents the sector into which world languages are divided. The sector can either be a phylosector, where its constituent languages are considered to be in genetic relationship one with another, or geosector, where the languages are grouped geographically rather than genetically.

The second numeral is used to represent the zone into which each sector is divided. The zones, like the sectors, are described as either phylozones or geozones based on the relationship of their languages, one to another: genetic or geographical.

The second section of the Linguasphere language code consists of three capital letters: from AAA to ZZZ. Each zone is divided into one or more sets, with each set being represented by the first letter of the second section. Each set is divided into one or more chains (represented by the second letter) and each chain is divided into one or more nets (represented by the third letter). The division of the languages of a zone into sets, chains and nets is based on statistical analysis of linguistic similarity. Thus, a geozone is often divided into many more sets than a phylozone because the genetic relationship between languages of the latter usually ensures greater similarity between its members.

The third and final part of the code consists of up to three lowercase letters used to identify a language or dialect with precision: from aaa to zzz. The first letter of this section represents the outer language. According to statistical analysis of linguistic similarity the various language varieties that comprise the outer language are coded using a second, and often a third letter.

[edit] Examples

Appreciation of the Linguasphere language code is often easier with concrete examples.

For example,

• The code for the English language is 52-ABA, where 5= represents the Indo-European phylosector, 52= represents the Germanic phylozone, 52-A represents the Norsk+ Frysk set (which covers the entire phylozone), 52-AB represents the English+ Anglo-Creole chain, and 52-ABA is the English net. Within this net, the outer languages are:
  • 52-ABA-a — Scots+ Northumbrian.
  • 52-ABA-b — Anglo-English (the traditional language of southern England).
  • 52-ABA-c — Global English (English as spoken around the world).
• Some more specific examples of English lects are:
  • 52-ABA-abb is Geordie: belonging to 52-ABA-a Scots+ Northumbrian outer language, and 52-ABA-ab Northumbrian.
  • 52-ABA-bco is the Norfolk dialect: belonging to 52-ABA-b Anglo-English outer language, and 52-ABA-bc Southern Anglo-English.
  • 52-ABA-cof is Nigerian English: belonging to 52-ABA-c Global English outer language, and 52-ABA-co West-African English.

[edit] See also

• Language code

[edit] External links

• www.linguasphere.org — Internet Archives copy of April 3, 2006 version (archived June 13, 2006); provides access to .pdf files containing the Linguasphere language codes.
• GeoLang, Ltd. — Company's website.