This document lists changes necessary to the MARC Code List for Languages for compatibility with the newly approved ISO 639-2 (Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages Part 2: Alpha-3 code). For further information about the international language code standard see: //www.loc.gov/marc/iso639.html
1. Changes
| Old USMARC code | New ISO code | Language name |
|---|---|---|
| cam | khm | Khmer |
| esp | epo | Esperanto |
| eth | gez | Ethiopic |
| far | fao | Faroese |
| fri | fry | Frisian |
| gae | gla | Scottish Gaelic |
| gag | glg | Galician |
| gal | orm | Oromo |
| gua | grn | Guarani |
| int | ina | Interlingua (International Auxiliary Language Association) |
| iri | gle | Irish |
| kus | kos | Kusaie |
| lan | oci | Occitan (post-1500) |
| lap | smi | Sami |
| max | glv | Manx |
| mla | mlg | Malagasy |
| sao | smo | Samoan |
| sho | sna | Shona |
| snh | sin | Sinhalese |
| sso | sot | Sotho |
| swz | ssw | Swazi |
| tag | tgl | Tagalog |
| taj | tgk | Tajik |
| tar | tat | Tatar |
| tru | chk | Truk |
| tsw | tsn | Tswana |
2. Deletions
| USMARC code | Language name |
|---|---|
| esk | Eskimo languages |
3. Additions (either previously in a collective code or having no code)
| New ISO codes | Previous collective code | Language name |
|---|---|---|
| aar | cus | Afar |
| abk | cau | Abkhaz |
| aus | paa | Australian languages |
| bih | inc | Bihari |
| bos | scr | Bosnian |
| bua | tut | Buriat |
| chm | fiu | Mari |
| chp | ath | Chipewyan |
| cos | * | Corsican |
| den | ath | Slave |
| dgr | ath | Dogrib |
| dzo | sit | Dzongka |
| fur | roh | Friulian |
| gwi | ath | Gwich'in |
| hit | ine | Hittite |
| iku | esk | Inuktitut |
| ile | * | Interlingue |
| ipk | esk | Inupiaq |
| kal | esk | Kalâtdlisut |
| kom | fiu | Komi |
| kum | tut | Kumyk |
| lez | cau | Lezgian |
| ltz | * | Letzeburgesch |
| mga | cel | Irish, Middle (ca. 1100-1500) |
| mnc | tut | Manchu |
| nbl | bnt | Ndebele (South Africa) |
| phn | sem | Phoenician |
| sah | tut | Yakut |
| sga | cel | Irish, Old (to 1100) |
| sme | * | Northern Sami |
| srd | roa | Sardinian |
| tyv | tut | Tuvinian |
| vol | art | Volapük |
| ypk | esk | Yupik languages |
| zha | tai | Zhuang |
*=No collective code has been assigned
Catalogers' Desktop incorporated these changes with Issue 4, 1999. The Network Development and MARC Standards Office is in the process of preparing a new edition of the MARC Code List for Languages that will incorporate all of these changes.
LC Implementation Plans
Subscribers can anticipate receiving MARC records reflecting these changes in all distribution
services not earlier than June 15, 2000.
Questions regarding the language codes should be directed to:
June 3, 1999 (rev. April 21, 2000)
Library of Congress