HTMLiin

HTMLiin is a proposed extension to HTML designed to improve the language-agnostic accessibility and internationalization capabilities of markup. It aims to add optional, backward-compatible features that can be adopted gradually.

Origin and goals: Emerged from a community-driven initiative in the early 2020s to address localization, accessibility, and modular reuse without breaking existing HTML. The core principle is to extend HTML without removing existing semantics, using a namespaced set of attributes and elements.

Design and features: Introduces a set of optional, iin- prefixed attributes and a small collection of semantic elements to indicate language variants, directionality, locale resources, and reusable components. These are designed to be non-intrusive and to degrade gracefully in browsers that do not support them. The approach emphasizes declarative markup, better tooling for localization, and improved screen-reader compatibility.

Usage and status: Not standardized by major standards bodies; currently in experimental stages with polyfills and prototype engines in a few projects. Adoption is uncertain; primarily targeted at teams needing better internationalization workflows. It remains compatible with standard HTML, allowing web authors to opt in as needed.

Example: A paragraph element with an iin-lang attribute to indicate its language variant, or a container marked as iin-section to delineate logical units that can be swapped for localized versions.

Relation to HTML: HTMLiin is intended as an augmentation rather than a replacement; it leverages existing HTML parsing but requires tooling to exploit the extensions. Critics argue potential fragmentation and browser support challenges.

See also: Internationalization, Accessibility, Web standards.