Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2017 July 1

Language desk
< June 30	<< Jun | July | Aug >>	July 2 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

July 1

Official list of official languages

Does any institution keep an official list of national languages? The UN or some institute responsible for managing an ISO rule? Is there any procedure out there to keep a centralized db of official languages? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.4.151.39 (talk) 14:06, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Wikipedia has a List of official languages.--Jayron32 14:42, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Yes, I've already seen it. But, I wanted an official list of official national languages. If for example a government changes an official language do they have to report it, can other countries reject it? Is there any international rule dictating that countries have a right to be contacted on their language? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.224.153.207 (talk) 17:29, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

You may be assuming that every country has an "official" language specified in law, which isn't necessarily the case: for example, the UK and US have languages which are "official" de facto rather than in law. Bazza (talk) 18:11, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

A de facto standard language would be an unofficial language. The situation in the US is more complex, as each state and territory can set it's own languages. Some have official languages (mostly English), and some do not. StuRat (talk) 21:34, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Specifically, 27 states have official language laws, and 23 do not. - Nunh-huh 18:02, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

Huh? Why would country A have any say over country B changing its official language? I don't have a reference for the (obvious) fact that it doesn't, but I'm wondering why you would think it's even remotely plausible that it would? --Trovatore (talk) 07:55, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

They don't have a say, but that doesn't mean they have to recognize a foreign country's language or use a language they see was imposed on the country or opt for using a past colonial language. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.4.148.175 (talk) 11:51, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

I'm sorry, you're just not making any sense. What does it mean for another country to "recognize" a country's official language? --Trovatore (talk) 19:55, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

Like, if it passes by the language at the shop, it pretends not to notice the language, you know, like when you see your ex in a public place find something interesting to look at on your phone...--Jayron32 01:10, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

?? This must be Incomprehensible Statements Week.  :) -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 01:18, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

Apparently someone doesn't recognize the joke here...-Jayron32 01:46, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

Humour often fails on the internet, because it relies for its effect on non-verbal elements. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:11, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

Indeed. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:36, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

• During WWII, in response to a German demand for surrender during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge, an American paratroop officer, Retired Lt. Gen. Harry W.O. Kinnard, refused to accept German as an official means of communication, and suggested the famously defiant Klingon-language answer "Nuts!".

μηδείς (talk) 01:23, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

From some basic googling, it seems the UNO only keeps track of its own official languages (very easy), not each member state's official languages as a list somewhere. Happy to be corrected if someone finds any different. --Lgriot (talk) 14:38, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

• The official language in Macedonia is Macedonian, but Bulgaria and Greece officially do not recognize it as a language and avoid using the term "Macedonian (language)" in official and diplomatic contexts. See "Political views on the Macedonian language" and "Macedonian language naming dispute". That's a highly sensitive issue that is much deeper than just the language; it also concerns the name, the identity and the history of the nation. --Theurgist (talk) 14:50, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

Spanish surname confirmation

See the query in Talk:María Irigoyen Pérez#Surname(s). Thank you. -- Deborahjay (talk) 15:32, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

on the article's Talk page -- Deborahjay (talk) 05:44, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

Yellow Sapphire

Is there a Chinese or Japanese (kanji) name specifically for the yellow sapphire? Thanks --151.41.200.153 (talk) 18:37, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

The name varies, but 黄水晶 can be understood by both speakers. Alex Shih^Talk 08:13, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

What is a cercle?

In our Template:Infobox religious building page, amongst the fields that are available, there is one called "cercle =". Looking down to the explanatory notes below, it helpfully says: "cercle — the cercle in which the building is in". Apart from being the French for "circle", is there some other meaning of which I am ignorant? Google was not my friend on this point. Alansplodge (talk) 21:26, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Related to circle (country subdivision) and cercle (French colonial), probably? Looks like it was added by Pigsonthewing (talk · contribs) back in 2007, so maybe we could ask him. Adam Bishop (talk) 02:17, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

Thank you kindly. I wait with bated breath. Alansplodge (talk) 11:10, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

How do we ping people here? @Pigsonthewing: Oh, like so! Adam Bishop (talk) 14:27, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

My experience is that whenever somebody wikilinks your username you get an "alert" like this: 'Adam Bishop mentioned you on Wikipedia:Reference Desk/Language in "What is a cercle?"' Alansplodge (talk) 17:35, 2 July 2017 (UTC)

Not me. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:10, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

User:Mpatel added "cercle" in 2008. --Pp.paul.4 (talk) 11:13, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

and they did indeed mean the French administrative district, cercle, as Adam Bishop suggests. Great Mosque of Djenné now uses location= Thincat (talk) 19:41, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

Thank you all. I have now added a wikilink to the explanatory notes.

Resolved