SprachLocaleTags

SprachLocaleTags is a term used in software localization to describe identifiers that encode both language and locale information. These tags enable precise selection of locale-specific resources, such as text strings, formatting rules, and cultural conventions, by combining language data with regional and script information.

In practice, SprachLocaleTags follow conventions similar to the IETF language tags defined by BCP 47. A tag typically includes a primary language subtag, and may include a script subtag, a region/subtag, and optional variants or extensions. Examples include de-DE for German as used in Germany, en-US for American English, fr-CA for French in Canada, and zh-Hans-CN for Chinese language in the Simplified script used in China. More complex variants such as es-419 for Latin American Spanish or zh-Hant-TW illustrate regional and script distinctions.

Usage of SprachLocaleTags appears in resource resolution, user preference storage, and formatting rules within localization pipelines. When selecting resources, a system may attempt an exact tag match, fall back to a more general language tag (e.g., de from de-DE), and finally use a default fallback. This approach helps accommodate diverse user locales while maintaining scalable resource organization.

Relation to standards: the concept aligns with BCP 47 language tags (RFC 5646) and related locale conventions. The term SprachLocaleTags itself is not an official standard, but is commonly used in German-language documentation and some frameworks to describe the practice of tagging language and locale information together.

See also: BCP 47, locale, i18n, l10n.