Presentations
Language Standards for Global Business©
Barcelona, Spain
May 29-30, 2006

Tex Texin, Internationalization Architect, Yahoo! Inc., USA

Can Humpty Dumpty Use A BlackBerry?
Humpty Dumpty claimed that "Words mean exactly what I want them to mean!". Similarly, software vendors create artifical languages to suit geographically dispersed communities of speakers. For example, "universal spanish" for all spanish-speaking users.

Technology also drives the evolution of language, such as smileys and abbreviations used in instant messaging and mail.

In short, words mean what users want them to mean. Technology must recognize these new forms and be able to semantically analyze even irregular forms of language as is written by users with little or no education.

Language standards though, traditionally rely on linguistic models and long established practices that do not reflect these usages. This panel will explore these real world needs and define how the language standards community can help. Addressing these challenges will insure that modern day Humpty Dumptys can use BlackBerrys and newer technologies.

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