RFC 2070 HTML Internationalization January 1997

Sep 19, 2026

RFC 2070 defines an Internet standards-track protocol focused on internationalizing the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). It addresses limitations from HTML’s earlier reliance on the ISO-8859-1 character set and extends HTML so it remains a valid SGML application while supporting all languages. The document specifies the SGML document character set, treatment of the charset parameter for text/html, and additional elements and entities for correct i18n support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

1.1. Scope

1.2. Conformance

2. The document character set

2.1. Reference processing model

2.2. The document character set

2.3. Undisplayable characters

3. The LANG attribute

4. Additional entities, attributes and elements

4.1. Full Latin-1 entity set

4.2. Markup for language-dependent presentation

5. Forms

5.1. DTD additions

5.2. Form submission

6. External character encoding issues

7. HTML public text

7.1. HTML DTD

7.2. SGML declaration for HTML

7.3. ISO Latin 1 character entity set

8. Security Considerations

Network Working Group F . Yergeau Request for Comments: 2070 Alis Technologies Category: Standards Track G . Nicol Electronic Book Technologies G . Adams Spyglass M . Duerst University of Zurich January 1997 Internationalization of the Hypertext Markup Language Status of this Memo This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol . Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Abstract The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a markup language used to create hypertext documents that are platform independent. Initially, the application of HTML on the World Wide Web was seriously restricted by its reliance on the ISO-8859-1 coded character set, which is appropriate only for Western European languages . Despite this restriction, HTML has been widely used with other languages, using other coded character sets or character encodings, at the expense of interoperability. This document is meant to address the issue of the internationalization (i18n, i followed by 18 letters followed by n) of HTML by extending the specification of HTML and giving additional recommendations for proper internationalization support . A foremost consideration is to make sure that HTML remains a valid application of SGML, while enabling its use with all languages of the world . Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................. 2 1.1. Scope ...................................................... 2 1.2. Conformance ................................................ 3 2. The document character set ..................................... 4 2.1. Reference processing model ................................. 4 2.2. The document character set ................................. 6 2.3. Undisplayable characters ................................... 8 Yergeau, [et. al. Standards](et. al. Standards) Track [Page 1] RFC 2070 HTML Internationalization January 1997 3. The LANG attribute .............................................. 8 4. Additional entities, attributes and elements ................... 9 4.1. Full Latin-1 entity set .................................... 9 4.2. Markup for language-dependent presentation ................ 10 5. Forms ..........................................................16 5.1. DTD additions ..............................................16 5.2. Form submission ............................................17 6. External character encoding issues .............................18 7. HTML public text ...............................................20 7.1. HTML DTD ...................................................20 7.2. SGML declaration for HTML ..................................35 7.3. ISO Latin 1 character entity set ...........................37 8. Security Considerations .........................................40 Bibliography ......................................................40 Authors’ Addresses ................................................43 1. Introduction The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a markup language used to create hypertext documents that are platform independent. Initially, the application of HTML on the World Wide Web was seriously restricted by its reliance on the ISO-8859-1 coded character set, which is appropriate only for Western European languages . Despite this restriction, HTML has been widely used with other languages, using other coded character sets or character encodings, through various ad hoc extensions to the language [TAKADA] . This document is meant to address the issue of the internationalization of HTML by extending the specification of HTML and giving additional recommendations for proper internationalization support . It is in good part based on a paper by one

FAQs

What problem does RFC 2070 address for HTML internationalization?

It addresses the internationalization (i18n) of HTML by extending the HTML specification and providing recommendations to support proper international use beyond earlier ISO-8859-1 restrictions.

How does RFC 2070 ensure HTML stays standards-compliant?

A foremost consideration is keeping HTML a valid application of SGML while enabling it to be used with all languages.

Which specific topics does RFC 2070 define regarding characters and encoding?

It specifies the SGML document character set for HTML, the proper treatment of the charset parameter for the text/html content type, and additional elements and entities needed for internationalization.

Sep 19, 2026

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