This page documents the Registry of Language Varieties (ROLV) of the Harvest Information Standards (HIS).

The Editor and Steward of the Registry of Language Varieties is Allan Starling, GRN.

Overview

The function of the Registry of Language Varieties (ROLV) is to:

  • Identify and verify specific varieties of given languages defined by ISO 639-3
  • Provide unique, standardized codes for these varieties.

Contents of the Registry

The Registry contains a set of varieties of living languages. A code in this set represents a unique variety of a language.

By definition the scope of a language variety code is always a smaller group of speakers than the group represented by the assigned language as a whole.

Two codes are provided:

  • ROLV Code. This is a standardized five-digit code (including leading zeros, when necessary) for uniquely referring to a particular variety.
  • BCP-47 code. IETF Language Tags defined in BCP-47 identify not only the language variety, but also script and spelling conventions. This scheme enables users to tap into a wider set of language research and tools.

Information about the varieties is available on the Global Recordings Network website. Users have full access to those descriptions as follows:

To search the site https://globalrecordings.net
To search by ROLV code https://globalrecordings.net/language/vvvvv Where vvvvv is the ROLV code
To search by BCP-47 code https://globalrecordings.net/language/langtag Where langtag is the BCP code
To search by ISO code https://globalrecordings.net/language/xxx Where xxx is the ISO Code

Changes in the Registry

Language varieties may be added or retired from the registry as a result of the following:

  • The International Organization for Standards (ISO) has dropped, divided, merged, or retired an ISO code.
  • The ISO has generated a new code.
  • An item is determined to be a duplicate of another item.
  • A new language variety has been identified

Verification of language-related data

Data can be verified as language varieties by any of the following:

  • Has audio/video recordings.
  • Has literature in any form of media, including Bible translations.
  • Is described in the Ethnologue, but not just in a list of names.
  • Is adequately described in Wikipedia, Joshua Project, Glottolog, Google Search, or similar references.
  • Has a documented percentage intelligibility with another variety.
  • An individual or organization working among the language variety has made a documented request for an ROLV code.
  • Changes are reported by qualified field workers.

Language Varieties may have differences in any or all of vocabulary, grammatical construction, idioms, or marked accents. Differences may also be marked by religious or social prejudices.

Downloads

The ROLV consists of three lists:

  1. Code List
Column Format Description
Language code 3 characters The ISO code of the language of which this is a variety
Dialect code 5 digits A unique identifier of this language variety
Language Tag 20 characters A unique identifier of this language variety
Country code 2 characters The ISO code of the country in which this variety is predominantly spoken
Variety name 75 characters The name of the unique variety of this language
Language name 75 characters The name of the language of which this is a variety
Location name 250 characters The name of the location in which this variety is primarily spoken.

Download the Code List in Tab-delimited or JSON format.

  1. Alternate Name List
Column Format Description
ROLV Code 5 digits The unique identifier for the language variety
Language Tag 30 characters A unique identifier of this language variety
Alternate Name 75 characters An alternate name or spelling for the variety including names in other languages and scripts.

Download the Alternate Name List in Tab-delimited or JSON format.

  1. Changes List
Column Format Description
Language variety Code 5 digits The unique identifier for the language variety
Language Tag 30 characters A unique identifier of this language variety
Date yyyy-mm-dd The change date
Change Type 1 character A=Added – The code is newly created.

M=Moved – The variety has been assigned to a different language.

U=Updated – The definition of the dialect has extended contracted or changed in some other way.

R=Retired – The dialect code should no longer be used
Previous Language Code 3 characters The ISO code of the language to which the variety was previously assigned
Explanation text A more detailed description of what has changed and why.

Download the Changes List in Tab-delimited or JSON format.

Updates

A Request Form is provided in the GRN website for identifying new varieties and/or requesting a code.

ROLV Documents