SNOMED CT® Release Format 1 (RF1) Guide - ihtsdo

148 | SNOMED CT Release Format 1 (RF1) Guide July 2012
Value
2
3
Note:
Synonym
FullySpecifiedName
Meaning
This is a Synonym for the associated Concept.
This is the FullySpecifiedName for the associated Concept.
The Preferred Term and Synonyms may vary according to language and dialect. These variations are
specified using Subsets. In any one language or dialect there is one and only one Preferred Term for
each Concept. The Preferred Term in one language or dialect may be a Synonym in other languages or
dialects. Any Description with a DescriptionType"Unspecified", "Preferred" or "Synonym" in the distributed
table may be assigned as a Preferred Term or Synonym in any language or dialect.
The FullySpecifiedName will vary according to language and dialect. These variations are specified using
Subsets. In any language or dialect there is one FullySpecifiedName for each Concept. Only Descriptions
that have the DescriptionType"FullySpecifiedName" may be assigned as the FullySpecifiedName in any
language or dialect.
3.2.9.2.2.6. LanguageCode
Table 80: -
Descriptions Table
Data Field
LanguageCode
Field Type
String
This field specifies the language/dialect of the term.
Permitted characters
0 to 9, a to z, A to Z and
dash "-"
Length
1 to 8
A string identifying a language and, if appropriate, a dialect in which this Description is valid. Consists of a
code and optionally a sub-code. If a sub-code is present it is separated from the code by a dash ("-").
• The code is the two-character ISO639-1 language code. ISO639 is the International Standard for “Codes
for the representation of names of languages”.
• The sub code is a string of upper-case letters that represent the dialect. This deliberately mirrors the W3C
approach and will either be:
• If the dialect is general to an entire country, the two-letter ISO 3166 country code is used. ISO3166 is
the International Standard for “Codes for the representation of names of countries”.
• If dialects are used that are less common or not country or language linked, the IANA approach is
used. This code consists of a string of more than two letters. IANA is the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority.
This structure follows Internet conventions. Examples: “en” for English, “es” for Spanish, “en-US” for United
States English, “en-GB” for British English.
To identify the members of an edition of SNOMED CT, use the Language subset for that edition. Do not
simply search for all entries in the Descriptions Table using the Language Code field.
Each edition includes the appropriate Language Subset, which designates the descriptions that are intended
for that edition.
© 2002-2012 International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation CVR #: 30363434