EPC Exhibit 130-23
September 30, 2008
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Decimal Classification Division
To:
Caroline Kent, Chair
Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee
Cc:
Members of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee
Beacher Wiggins, Director, Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate
From:
Rebecca Green, Assistant Editor
Julianne Beall, Assistant Editor
Dewey Decimal Classification
Via:
Joan S. Mitchell, Editor in Chief
Dewey Decimal Classification
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
Re:
400 Language
At Meeting 129, EPC Exhibit 129-21 addressed numerous changes throughout the 400s. This
exhibit addresses several follow-up issues arising from the discussion of that exhibit; in addition,
EPC Exhibit 130-15 addresses computational linguistics, a discussion item from Exhibit 129-21.
This exhibit includes several corrections to Exhibit 129-21 and introduces one additional change.
Language variations implementation plan
At Meeting 129, EPC requested the preparation of an implementation plan (to be presented at
Meeting 130) for large-scale language variations changes approved during the meeting. We
propose the following actions:



Post draft versions of 4x7 portions of the schedules showing the approved language
variation changes on the Dewey web site in January 2009 with links from the Dewey blog
Concurrently, post our intention to implement the changes in DDC 23 (scheduled to be
published in late calendar year 2010)
Request comments on the schedules and implementation plan by April 30, 2009 (this will
permit discussion of comments from users at Meeting 131)
We also requested feedback on the proposed changes from several of our translation partners who
would be affected by them. We received the following in response:
 I agree that the language variation treatment needs to be changed (I have been wondering
about the mother country / other places problem already), and I think the changes proposed
are reasonable and feasible. They would probably even facilitate our work in some
respects. (Dr. Martin Horstkotte, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek)
Picture dictionaries and dictionaries with pictures of sign-language signs
The difference between picture dictionaries and dictionaries with pictures of sign-language signs
should be made clear. We propose adding notes to the following records to accomplish this:
Table 4
—3
Dictionaries of the standard form of the language
Including dictionaries with pictures of sign-language signs
See Manual at T4--3 vs. T4--81
—317
Picture dictionaries
Limited to dictionaries with pictures of what words represent
See also —3 for dictionaries with pictures of sign-language signs
Schedule
413.17
Picture dictionaries
Limited to dictionaries with pictures of what words represent
See also 419.03 for dictionaries with pictures of sign-language signs
419
Sign languages
Class here comprehensive works on fingerspelling, use of fingerspelling as part
of sign languages
Comprehensive works on use of signs and fingerspelling for manual coding of
multiple standard spoken languages relocated to 418
Use of signs and fingerspelling for manual coding of specific standard spoken
languages relocated to notation –891 from Table 4
Class nonlinguistic (nonstructured) communication (e.g., use of gestures) in
302.222
419.03
Dictionaries, encyclopedias, concordances
Class a dictionary of a specific sign language with the language, e.g.,
dictionary of American Sign Language 419.703
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Polyglot/multilingual works
At Meeting 129, CILIP requested that we consider providing a development for
polyglot/multilingual works, possibly using the new development for translating under 418 as a
guide.
The 400s (419-499) and 800s (810-899) provide developments for the linguistics and literatures of
individual languages and language families. Works treating more than one language are classed in
the number for an individual predominant language, or, if no language predominates, in the most
specific number that contains them all (or, in specific circumstances, the number coming first or
the number coming last). Following this logic, polyglot/multilingual works are typically classed in
the 410s, in 808, or in 809. Multilingualism itself is a class-here topic in 404.2 Bilingualism and
in T4—042 Bilingualism. (In other words, polyglottism is treated in the DDC more as a linguistic
phenomenon than as a language identification; that is, it is associated with phenomena like
etymology, grammar, and translating rather than with languages like Italian, Hebrew, and Zuni.)
A search in WorldCat on “su: polyglot” reveals a large literature, retrieving 13,848 records. The
vast majority of these appear to be polyglot dictionaries or glossaries / phrase books; the search
“su: polyglot and (su: dictionar* or su: glossaries)” retrieves 12,962 hits. When restricted to
records with a DDC number in the 410s, the number of hits is much lower—450 and 430,
respectively.
Works that class in the 800s rarely receive a subject heading that includes the word “polyglot”; the
search “dd: 80* and su: polyglot” retrieves only 2 records in WorldCat. But considerable
“polyglot” literature is classed in the 800s, specifically in 808 Rhetoric and collections of literary
texts from more than two literatures and 809 History, description, critical appraisal of more than
two literatures; the search “dd: 808* or dd: 809*” retrieves 168,190 records in WorldCat. What
must be remembered is that literature is classed in the DDC according to the language in which it
was originally written, so that works appropriately classed in 808 and 809 because the original
texts represent more than two languages will often appear (translated) in a single language in the
work being classed.
As the above discussion shows, the provision of a separate development for polyglot works runs
counter to assumptions now built into the DDC. The one place where it might be sensible to
consider expanding for polyglot works would be to provide a subclass under 413.1 Specialized
dictionaries for polyglot dictionaries, glossaries, phrase books, etc. But this likewise runs counter
to the general assumption that expansions will not be provided for class-here topics in toto. Nor
would such an expansion be very useful. On the one hand, most (80%) polyglot dictionaries are
being classed at 413 itself. On the other hand, a brief review of works classed at 413 suggests that
most of those that are correctly classed there are polyglot dictionaries.
Interpreting
EPC requested changes to the proposed entries under 418.03 and 418.04 to make the scope of the
class-here notes (previously “Class here interpreting”) clearer.
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418.02
Translating
Class here interpreting
Translating materials on specific subjects relocated to 418.03; translating
literature (belles-lettres) and rhetoric relocated to 418.04
418.03
Translating materials on specific subjects [formerly 418.02]
Class here interpreting materials on specific subjects
Add to base number 418.03 three-digit numbers 001–999 (but stop
before any zero that follows a non-zero number), e.g., translating natural
history materials 418.035 (not 418.03508), translating medical materials
418.0361
Class translating a specific work or the works of a specific author with
the work, translations of the work, or author, e.g., translating the Bible
220, translating the works of Aristotle 185
For translating literature (belles-lettres) and rhetoric, see 418.04
418.04
Translating literature (belles-lettres) and rhetoric [formerly 418.02]
Class here interpreting literature and rhetoric; translating works about
literature, rhetoric
Class translating a specific work or works of a specific author with the
work or author, e.g., translating the Aeneid 873.01, translating the works
of Shakespeare 822.33
Corrigenda
On pages 7 and 8 of EPC Exhibit 129-21 three DDC numbers are given incorrectly. The entries
there apply instead to the numbers shown below:
Number given in exhibit
415.57
415.59
415.592
Correct number
415.7
415.9
415.92
The revised entry for 401.41, given on page 18, retained two class-elsewhere notes that should
have been deleted. The correct entry is given here:
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401.41
Discourse analysis
Including pragmatics in discourse analysis
Class here content analysis, semiotics
Class interdisciplinary works on semiotics in 302.2; class pragmatics in
sociolinguistics and interdisciplinary works on pragmatics in 306.44; class
interdisciplinary works on pragmatics in 401.45. Class a semiotic study of a
specific subject with the subject, plus notation T1--014 from Table 1 , e.g., a
semiotic study of science 501.4
For semantics, see 401.43
See also 121.68 for semiotics as a topic in philosophy
Page 23 of EPC Exhibit 129-21 introduced a note for 417 that is somewhat impenetrable:
417
Dialectology and historical linguistics
Topics classed in 411–415 and 418 when applied to standard forms of languages are
classed here when applied to geographic variations, to modern nongeographic
variations, e.g., morphology of geographic variations
We have reworded this note and moved it to 417.2, where it belongs (since it does not apply to
historical linguistics at 417.7). We have added corresponding notes at 411–415 and 418:
411
Writing systems of standard forms of languages
Including alphabets, ideographs, syllabaries; braille; abbreviations, acronyms,
capitalization, punctuation, spelling, transliteration
Class dictionaries of abbreviations and acronyms in 413.15; class writing systems of
geographic variations, of modern nongeographic variations of languages in 417.2; class
manual alphabets, fingerspelling in 418
See also 652 for practical works on how to write by hand or machine, e.g.,
penmanship 652.1
412
Etymology of standard forms of languages
Class etymology of geographic variations, of modern nongeographic variations of
languages in 417.2; class comprehensive works on historical linguistics in 417.7; class
interdisciplinary works on onomastics in 929.97. Class a specific aspect of etymology
with the aspect, e.g., phonetic development of words 414
See Manual at 401.43 vs. 306.44, 401.9, 412, 415
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413
Dictionaries of standard forms of languages
Class here polyglot dictionaries
Class dictionaries of geographic variations, of modern nongeographic variations of
languages in 417.2
For bilingual dictionaries with entry words in only one language, see the language,
plus notation 32–39 from Table 4, e.g., French-English dictionary 443.21. For
bilingual dictionaries with entry words in both languages, see the language coming
later in 420–490, plus notation 32–39 from Table 4, e.g., French-German, GermanEnglish dictionary 443.31
414
Phonology and phonetics of standard forms of languages
Standard subdivisions are added for phonology and phonetics together, for phonology
alone
Class here consonants, vowels; morphophonology, morphophonemics, phonemics
Class comprehensive works on phonology and morphology, on phonology and syntax,
or on all three in 415; class phonology and phonetics of geographic variations, of
modern nongeographic variations of languages in 417.2
415
Grammar of standard forms of languages
Class here grammatical categories, sentences, syntax, topic and comment; word order;
comprehensive works on phonology and morphology, on phonology and syntax, or on
all three
Class grammar of geographic variations, of modern nongeographic variations of
languages in 417.2
Unless other instructions are given, class a subject with aspects in two or more
subdivisions of 415 in the number coming last, e.g., number expressed by verbs 415.6
(not 415.5)
For phonology, see 414; for prescriptive grammar, see 418
See Manual at 401.43 vs. 306.44, 401.9, 412, 415
417
Dialectology and historical linguistics
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417.2
Dialectology
Including argot, cant, jargon, slang
Class here dialects, patois, provincialisms
Works on writing systems, etymology, dictionaries, phonology, phonetics,
grammar, applied linguistics are classed here when applied to geographic
variations, to modern nongeographic variations, e.g., morphology of geographic
variations
418
Standard usage (Prescriptive linguistics)
General, formal, informal usage
Including comprehensive works on instruction in lipreading with respect to multiple
languages, comprehensive works on use of signs and fingerspelling for manual coding
of multiple standard spoken languages
Class here applied linguistics
Class purely descriptive linguistics in 411–415; class prescriptive and applied
linguistics applied to geographic variations, to modern nongeographic variations of
languages in 417.2; class dictionaries in 413; class lexicography in 413.028
For rhetoric, see 808.04. For use of signs and fingerspelling for manual coding of a
specific spoken language, see the language plus notation 891 from Table 4, e.g.,
use of signs and fingerspelling to represent standard English 428.91, use of British
Sign Language signs to represent standard English 428.9141; for lipreading a
specific language, see the language, plus notation 8954 from Table 4, e.g.,
lipreading English 428.954
Page 25 of EPC Exhibit 129-21 gives the caption at 440 as Romance languages, with French in the
class-here note. The correct caption is French and related Romance languages, with Romance
languages in the class-here note.
Page 32 of Exhibit 129-21 indicated that a number of uneven spans in the 400s (e.g., 420.1–428,
439.601–439.68) would be fixed by extending the second notation (e.g., 420.1–428.9, 439.601–
439.689). However, we have found the results much clearer if the standard subdivisions part of
the span is separated from the remaining T4 subdivisions part of the span. Therefore, these uneven
spans have been fixed by being divided into two spans (e.g., 420.1–420.9, 421-428; 439.601–
439.609, 439.61–439.68). Similar treatment will be applied in the 800s.
Additional change
In the past some add notes in the 400s used the wording “Add to base number [number]” while
other add notes used the wording “Add to [number].” (Use of “base number” was avoided when a
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number was identified as “base number” for the language elsewhere.) We have now adopted
consistent usage of the wording “Add to base number [number]” throughout the 400s.
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