What are the criteria used to define new ISO 639 language codes?
The criteria used to define new codes in the ISO 639-1 standard are: Relation to ISO 639-2. Since ISO 639-1 is to remain a subset of ISO 639-2, it must first satisfy the requirements for ISO 639-2. In addition it must satisfy the following. Documentation a significant body of existing documents (specialized texts, such as college or university textbooks, technical documentation manuals, specialized journals, subject-field related books, etc.) written in specialized languages a number of existing terminologies in various subject fields (e.g. technical dictionaries, specialized glossaries, vocabularies, etc. in printed or electronic form) Recommendation. A recommendation and support of a specialized authority (such as a standards organization, governmental body, linguistic institution, or cultural organization) Other considerations the number of speakers of the language community the recognized status of the language in one or more countries the support of the request by one or more offi
