[tei-council] Values of @xml:lang on <exemplum>

[James Cummings]

James Cummings wrote:
> David Sewell wrote:
>> Cases #1 and #3 seem clear-cut. The former takes @xml:lang="en", the
>> latter takes @xml:lang="" (the latter is the explicitly recommended
>> XML practice for tagging an element where you want to suppress language
>> information, see http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/#sec-lang-tag).
> 
> Currently the TEI Schemas don't allow us to have xml:lang="" (or at 
> least in my quick test in oXygen).  This is, I'd argue an oversight 
> since you suggest the spec allows it.
> 
> We define it as data.language == xsd:language.  So there must be a flaw 
> in xsd:language that doesn't allow empty values.

And furthermore we say on the attribute reference page:

"Note: If no value is specified for xml:lang, the xml:lang value for the 
immediately enclosing element is inherited; for this reason, a value 
should always be specified on the outermost element (TEI)."

We should perhaps update this to distinguish between the attribute not 
being present, which is what refers to by 'no value specified' and the 
attribute being present but erm, no actual value specified.

-James

-- 
Dr James Cummings, Research Technologies Service, University of Oxford
James dot Cummings at oucs dot ox dot ac dot uk