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IS0
INTERN AT1 ON AL ORGAN IZATl O N FOR STAN DA RD I ZATl O N
IS0 RECOMMENDATION
R 639
SYMBOLS FOR LANGUAGES, COUNTRIES AND AUTHORITIES
1st EDITION
November 1967
COPYRIGHT RESERVED
The copyright of IS0 Recommendations and IS0 Standards
belongs to IS0 Member Bodies. Reproduction of these
documents, in any country, may be authorized therefore only
by the national standards organization of that country, being
a member of ISO.
For each individual country the only valid standard is the national standard of that country.
Printed in Switzerland
Also issued in French and Russian. Copies to be obtained through the national standards organizations.
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BRIEF HISTORY
The IS0 Recommendation R 639, Symbols for Languages, Countries and Authorities, was
drawn up by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Terminology (Principles and co-ordination), the
Secretariat of which is held by the Oesterreichischer Normenausschuss (ONA).
Work on this question by the Technical Committee began in 1951 and led, in 1964, to the
adoption of a Draft IS0 Recommendation.
In December 1964, this Draft IS0 Recommendation (No. 769) was circulated to all the
IS0 Member Bodies for enquiry. It was approved, subject, to a few modifications of an editorial
nature, by the following Member Bodies:
Argentina India Romania
Austria Israel Spain
Chile Italy Switzerland
Turkey
Czechoslovakia Korea, Rep. of
Denmark New Zealand U.A.R.
France Pakistan United Kingdom
Germany Poland U.S.A.
U.S.S.R.
Greece Portugal
No Member Body opposed the approval of the Draft.
The Draft IS0 Recommendation was then submitted by correspondence to the IS0
Council, which decided, in November 1967, to accept it as an IS0 RECOMMENDATION.
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ISO/R 639 - 1967 (E)
CONTENTS
Page
............. ...... 4
Foreword .
...... 4
Introduction . .
.............................
1. Language symbols 5
..............................
2. Country symbols 6
...........................
3. Symbols of authorities 7
4. Combination of symbols . 8
Annex A
9
........
Classified list of languages and their symbols, arranged by families
Annex B
Alphabetical list of letter symbols for languages . 11
Annex C
.............. 12
Sequence of languages in vocabularies
Annex D
Classified list of country and standards symbols . 14
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ISO/R 639 - 1967 (E)
FOREWORD
Co-operation and communication between experts engaged in all branches of science and tech-
nology are assuming ever-increasing importance as essential conditions for progress, both within
each country and between countries. For this exchange to be successful, technical terms should
have the same meaning for everyone who uses them. This goal can be achieved only if there is
general agreement on the meaning of these terms. Hence the importance of technical vocabu-
laries, in which concepts and terms, as well as their definitions, are standardized (terminological
standards). It is just such standards which aid to assure mutual understanding.
These vocabularies are prepared by the National Standards Associations and by the Technical
Committees of ISO. During the work on terminology carried out by these bodies, it quickly
became apparent that it was necessary to have directives applicable to any field of knowledge
and that it was possible to establish them.
Accordingly, IS0 set up a Technical Committee, known as ISO/TC 37, Terminology (Principles
and co-ordination), with the mission of finding out and formulating general principles on
scientific terminology and lexicography.
The IS0 Recommendations prepared by this Technical Committee deal with problems that fall
under the following four headings :
1. Vocabulary of terminology;
2. Procedure for producing national or international standardized vocabularies ;
3. National and international standardization of concepts, terms and their definitions :
principles for their establishment and criteria of value ;
Layout of monolingual and multilingual vocabularies, including lexicographical
4.
symbols.
The IS0 Recommendation included in class 2 deal with guidance in the organization of the
work, while the other classes are concerned with technical details.
The following IS0 Recommendations will be prepared :
Class 1
ISO/R . . . * Vocabulary of terminology
Class 2
Guide for the preparation of classified vocabularies
ISO/R . . . **
Class 3
ISO/R . . . *** Naming principles
ISO/R . . . International unification of concepts and terms
Class 4
ISO/R . . . Layout of multilingual classified vocabularies
ISO/R . . . Layout of monolingual classified vocabularies
ISO/R . . . Lexicographical symbols
ISO/R . Symbols for languages, countries and authorities
* At present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 781
** At present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 792
*** At present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 676
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ISO/R 639 - 1967 (E)
IS0 Recommendation R 639 N ove m be r 1 967
SYMBOLS FOR LANGUAGES, COUNTRIES AND AUTHORITIES
INTRODUCTION
This IS0 Recommendation deals with items included in class 4, mentioned in the foreword.
Its purpose is to provide symbols showing
- to which language a term or document belongs (language symbols);
- in which country a term is used (country symbols);
L
- from what authoritative source a term or definition has been taken (authority symbols).
These symbols may be used in vocabularies, in treatises on terminology, and in any other text
where a brief indication of language, country or authority is useful.
1. LANGUAGE SYMBOLS
1.1 Form of language symbols
Letter symbols or UDC numbers * may be used at will as language symbols.
Examples: E (or En) or = 20 for English
F (or Fr) or = 40 for French
Two tables showing these symbols are appended to this IS0 Recommendation (Annexes A
and B).
1.2 Application of language symbols
Language symbols are necessary in the following particular instances :
TO INDICATE THE LANGUAGE USED
1.2.1
1.2.1.1 Generally
Example: In a list of delegates issued at the meetings of the IS0 Council, the symbols
(E), (F) and (R) may indicate whether the delegates spoke in English (E), French
(F) or Russian (R).
* UDC: Universal Decimal Classification published by national standards organizations under authority of the Inter-
national Federation for Documentation (FID), The Hague.
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ISO/R 639 - 1967 (E)
1.2.1.2
At the head of documents
Example I: The drawing up of documents in English, French or Russian respecti-
vely may be indicated by adding the letters E, F or R. Example: ISO/TC 27
(India - 3) 19 E.
(Quotation from the IS0 Directives, clause A 6.2.3., document ISO/DIR (GS -20),
January 1966).
Example 2: A well-known watch factory encloses with its five-language catalogue an
introduction in only one of the five languages, according to the request of the
addressee. These interchangeable introductions are held together by tapes which
are only marked by one of the five letters E, F, D, I or S.
1.2.1.3 Zn bibliographies
In multilingual bibliographies the language symbols are added to the title of the
publications recorded.
1.2.2 TO INDICATE THE LANGUAGE TO WHICH A TERM BELONGS
1.2.2.1 Zn treatises on terminology, the language symbols are generally put in front of
the term, either singly or combined in groups.
Example I: E positron D Positron I positrone F positon S positon
Example 2: EFR ion D Zon SvPl jon.
1.2.2.2 Zn vocabularies and dictionaries, language symbols are especially useful to distinguish
similar languages such as Italian and Spanish, Norwegian and Danish. They
normally precede the terms they refer to (see also Annex C).
Examples: E ion or = 20 ion I ione or = 50 ione
D Zon = 30 Ion S ion = 60 ion
F ion = 40 ion R ion = 82 ion
E ion /I D Zon /I F ion I/ I ione // S ion // R ion
or
= 20 ion I/ = 30 Zon /I = 40 ion // = 50 ione /I = 60 ibn Il = 82 ion
In vocabularies or dictionaries including only a few languages, the language symbols
may be omitted.
If, however, the vocabulary or dictionary already consists of a file with separate
slips for each language, or is so designed that it may be divided into such slips,
the language symbols are indispensable.
In vocabularies and dictionaries of international words, the language symbols are
placed after the terms they refer to, so as not to interfere with the alpha-
betic sequence.
Example: ion EFR positon F
Zon D positon S
ion S positron ESV
ione I Positron D
positrone I
jun SvPl
pozyton PI
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ISO/R 639 - 1967 (E)
2. COUNTRY SYMBOLS
2.1 Form of country symbols
There exist two internationally agreed sets of symbols for countries which could be used in
publications on terminology. They are :
- country initials for motor vehicles
- UDC numbers.
The country initials for motor vehicles are restricted to States. In default of an
internationally recognized complete set of country symbols applicable to all fields, it
is recommended that either one of the above-mentioned sets should be used.
When country initials for motor vehicles are used they are put between strokes, e.g. /USA/,
to distinguish them clearly from language and authority symbols.
UDC numbers for countries are always enclosed in parentheses, e.g. (73), meaning the
United States.
2.2 Application of country symbols
Country symbols are used to indicate the linguistic area in which a term is used. They are
applied, as needed, either with language symbols (as shown in the last column of Annex A)
or independently.
Country symbols may be used:
AT THE HEAD OF DOCUMENTS AND IN BIBLIOGRAPHIES
2.2.1
This usage is relatively rare.
2.2.2 IN PUBLICATIONS ON TERMINOLOGY OR IN VOCABULARIES AND DICTIONARIES
Country symbols are added to a term if it is not used in all the countries where the
language is spoken. In such cases the term will generally be followed by a synonym
marked by another country symbol.
In treatises on terminology, the country symbols may either precede or follow the
2.2.2.1
term they refer to.
Example: The element for connecting a commutator segment to the winding is called
F ,jonction au collecteur; E commutator lug /GB/; commutator riser /USA/ (or:
E/GB/ commutator lug; E/USA/ commutator riser).
2.2.2.2 In vocabularies and dictionaries, country symbols follow the terms they refer to.
Example: E flame-proof /GB/; explosion-proof /USA/
F antidéflagrant
I anfideflagrante
D explosionsgesch ützt.
3. SYMBOLS OF AUTHORITIES
3.1 Sources quoted as authorities
Among the documents which may be used as sources * of terms or definitions, national and
international standards, recommendations and agreements command attention in the first
instance by their authority. They may be classified as follows:
(a) Recommendations of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
formerly ISA.
(b) Standards issued by the national standards organizations (e.g. BS, NF), see
Annex D.
* For ‘‘sources’’ in general see Recommendation , Guide for the Preparation of ClassiJied Vocabularies
ISO/R
(Example of Method), clause 2.1 (at present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 792).
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ISO/R 839 - 1987 (E)
(c) Documents and recommendations issued by specialized international professional
organizations (e.g. IEC, IIW).
(d) Documents issued by certain specialized national organizations (e.g. ASTM, VDE).
(e) International agreements between States (e.g. UIT).
(f) National acts (e.g. MEG = Mass- und Eichgesetz, i.e. the Austrian Measures
and Standards Act).
3.2 Form of authority symbols
The symbols for the above mentioned documents take the form determined for them by the
organizations and authorities which have issued them.
Authority symbols are normally written without full stops, e.g. ISO, NF, USAS, DIN,
IEC. Forms as B.S., U.N.I.T. are exceptions. They should be replaced in multilingual
vocabularies by the forms BS, UNIT, without full stops.
3.3 Application of symbols of authority
3.3.1 If in a vocabulary or dictionary a term or a definition is to be marked as established or
approved by an important organization or authority, then an authority symbol may be
put after this term or this definition.
Example: E flame-proof BS ; explosion-proof USAS
F antidéflagrant
...