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European Economic Area

The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the Agreement on the European Economic Area, an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EEA links the EU member states and three of the four EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) into an internal market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable free movement of persons, goods, services, and capital within the European single market, including the freedom to choose residence in any country within this area. The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into force of the EEA Agreement. The contracting parties are the EU, its member states, and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. New members of EFTA would not automatically become party to the EEA Agreement, as each EFTA State decides on its own whether it applies to be party to the EEA Agreement or not. According to Article 128 of the EEA Agreement, "any European State becoming a member of the Community shall, and the Swiss Confederation or any European State becoming a member of EFTA may, apply to become a party to this Agreement. It shall address its application to the EEA Council." EFTA does not envisage political integration. It does not issue legislation, nor does it establish a customs union. Schengen is not a part of the EEA Agreement. However, all of the four EFTA States participate in Schengen and Dublin through bilateral agreements. They all apply the provisions of the relevant Acquis.

The EEA Treaty is a commercial treaty and differs from the EU Treaties in certain key respects. According to Article 1 its purpose is to "promote a continuous and balanced strengthening of trade and economic relation". The EFTA members do not participate in the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy.

The right to free movement of persons between EEA member states and the relevant provisions on safeguard measures are identical to those applying between members of the EU. The right and rules applicable in all EEA member states, including those which are not members of the EU, are specified in Directive 2004/38/EC and in the EEA Agreement.

The EEA Agreement specifies that membership is open to member states either of the EU or of the EFTA. EFTA states that are party to the EEA Agreement participate in the EU's internal market without being members of the EU or the European Union Customs Union. They adopt most EU legislation concerning the single market, with notable exclusions including laws regarding the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy. The EEA's "decision-shaping" processes enable EEA EFTA member states to influence and contribute to new EEA policy and legislation from an early stage. Third country goods are excluded for these states on rules of origin.

When entering into force in 1994, the EEA parties were 17 states and two European Communities: the European Community, which was later absorbed into the EU's wider framework, and the now defunct European Coal and Steel Community. Membership has grown to 30 states as of 2020: 27 EU member states, as well as three of the four member states of the EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The Agreement is applied provisionally with respect to Croatia—the remaining and most recent EU member state—pending ratification of its accession by all EEA parties. One EFTA member, Switzerland, has not joined the EEA, but has a set of bilateral sectoral agreements with the EU which allow it to participate in the internal market.

Origins
In the late 1980s, the EFTA member states, led by Sweden, began looking at options to join the then-existing European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor of the European Union (EU). The reasons identified for this are manifold. Many authors cite the economic downturn at the beginning of the 1980s, and the subsequent adoption by the EEC of the "Europe 1992 agenda", as a primary reason. Arguing from a liberal intergovernmentalist perspective, these authors argue that large multinational corporations in EFTA countries, especially Sweden, pressed for EEC membership under threat of relocating their production abroad. Other authors point to the end of the Cold War, which made joining the EEC less politically controversial for neutral countries.

Meanwhile, Jacques Delors, who was President of the European Commission at the time, did not like the idea of the EEC enlarging with more member states, as he feared that it would impede the ability of the Community to complete internal market reform and establish monetary union. He proposed a European Economic Space (EES) in January 1989, which was later renamed the European Economic Area, as it is known today.

By the time the EEA was established in 1994, however, several developments hampered its credibility. First of all, Switzerland rejected the EEA agreement in a national referendum on 6 December 1992, obstructing full EU-EFTA integration within the EEA. Furthermore, Austria had applied for full EEC membership in 1989, and was followed by Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland between 1991 and 1992 (Norway's EU accession was rejected in a referendum, Switzerland froze its EU application after the EEA agreement was rejected in a referendum). The fall of the Iron Curtain had made the EU less hesitant to accept these highly developed countries as member states, since that would relieve the pressure on the EU's budget when the former socialist countries of Central Europe were to join.

Membership

The EEA Agreement was signed in Porto on 2 May 1992 by the then seven states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the European Community (EC) and its then 12 member states. On 6 December 1992, Switzerland's voters rejected the ratification of the agreement in a constitutionally mandated referendum, effectively freezing the application for EC membership submitted earlier in the year. Switzerland is instead linked to the EU by a series of bilateral agreements. On 1 January 1995, three erstwhile members of the EFTA—Austria, Finland and Sweden—acceded to the European Union, which had superseded the European Community upon the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty on 1 November 1993. Liechtenstein's participation in the EEA was delayed until 1 May 1995. Any European State becoming a member of the EU shall, or becoming a member of EFTA may, apply to become a Party to the EEA agreement according to article 128 of the agreement.

, the contracting parties to the EEA are three of the four EFTA member states and the 27 EU member states. The newest EU member, Croatia, finished negotiating their accession to the EEA in November 2013, and since 12 April 2014 has provisionally applied the agreement pending its ratification by all EEA member states.

Treaties
Besides the 1992 Treaty, one amending treaty was signed, as well as three treaties to allow for accession of new members of the European Union.

Ratification of the EEA Agreement
Notes

Recent EU member states
When a state joins the EU, they do not necessarily immediately become part of the EEA but are obliged to apply. Following the 2004 enlargement of the EU, which saw Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceding to the EU on 1 May 2004, the EEA Enlargement Agreement was applied on a provisional basis to the 10 acceding countries as from the date of their accession in May 2004 to the EU. On the other hand, following the 2007 enlargement of the EU, which saw Bulgaria and Romania acceding to the EU on 1 January 2007, an EEA Enlargement Agreement was not signed until 25 July 2007 and only provisionally entered into force on 1 August 2007. The agreement did not fully enter into force until 9 November 2011.

 * Croatia

Prior to the 2013 enlargement of the EU, which saw Croatia acceding to the EU on 1 July 2013, an EEA Enlargement Agreement was not signed. Croatia signed its Treaty of Accession to the EU on 9 December 2011 and subsequently lodged their application to the EEA on 13 September 2012. Negotiations started on 15 March 2013 in Brussels, with the aim of achieving simultaneous accession to both the EU and the EEA on 1 July 2013. However, this was not achieved.

On 20 November 2013, it was announced that an enlargement agreement was reached. The text was initialled on 20 December 2013, and following its signature in April 2014 the agreement is being provisionally applied pending ratification by Croatia, all EEA states, and the European Union. As of June 2024 the agreement has been ratified by 30 out of 31 parties, with ratification through a decision by the European Union still pending.

Future EU member states
There are nine recognised candidates for membership of the European Union: Turkey (since 1999), North Macedonia (2005), Montenegro (2010), Serbia (2012), Albania (2014), Moldova (2022), Ukraine (2022), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022) and Georgia (2023). Kosovo (whose independence is not recognised by five EU member states) formally submitted its application for membership in 2022 and is considered a potential candidate by the European Union.

Faroe Islands
In mid-2005, representatives of the Faroe Islands hinted at the possibility of their territory joining the EFTA. However, the ability of the Faroes to join is uncertain because, according to Article 56 of the EFTA Convention, only states may become members of the Association. The Faroes, which form part of the Danish Realm, is not a sovereign state, and according to a report prepared for the Faroes Ministry of Foreign Affairs "under its constitutional status the Faroes cannot become an independent Contracting Party to the EEA Agreement due to the fact that the Faroes are not a state". However, the report went on to suggest that it is possible that the "Kingdom of Denmark in respect of the Faroes" could join the EFTA. The Danish Government has stated that the Faroes cannot become an independent member of the EEA as Denmark is already a party to the EEA Agreement. The Faroes already have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as the Hoyvík Agreement.

Switzerland
A referendum of 1992 rejected this, and there is a prevalent opinion among EU/EEA countries that Swiss referendums would disrupt the EEA-EU cooperation, like has happened with the Switzerland-EU cooperation.

A poll in December 2022 to mark 30 years since the 1992 EEA referendum indicated that 71% would vote for EEA participation if a referendum were held. For common Swiss people, a major difference between EEA and the Swiss agreement, is that EEA includes free movement for services including roaming prices for mobile phones. A members bill about joining EEA in 2022 was mostly rejected by the Federal council (government) considering the present treaties better for Switzerland.

European microstates
In November 2012, after the Council of the European Union had called for an evaluation of the EU's relations with the sovereign European microstates of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, which they described as "fragmented", the European Commission published a report outlining options for their further integration into the EU. Unlike Liechtenstein, which is a member of the EEA via the EFTA and the Schengen Agreement, relations with these three states are based on a collection of agreements covering specific issues. The report examined four alternatives to the current situation: 1) a Sectoral Approach with separate agreements with each state covering an entire policy area, 2) a comprehensive, multilateral Framework Association Agreement (FAA) with the three states, 3) EEA membership, and 4) EU membership. The Commission argued that the sectoral approach did not address the major issues and was still needlessly complicated, while EU membership was dismissed in the near future because "the EU institutions are currently not adapted to the accession of such small-sized countries". The remaining options, EEA membership and a FAA with the states, were found to be viable and were recommended by the commission.

As EEA membership is currently only open to EFTA or EU members, the consent of existing EFTA member states is required for the microstates to join the EEA without becoming members of the EU. In 2011, Jonas Gahr Støre, the then Foreign Minister of Norway which is an EFTA member state, said that EFTA/EEA membership for the microstates was not the appropriate mechanism for their integration into the internal market because their requirements differed from those of larger countries such as Norway, and suggested that a simplified association would be better suited for them. Espen Barth Eide, Støre's successor, responded to the commission's report in late 2012 by questioning whether the microstates have sufficient administrative capabilities to meet the obligations of EEA membership. However, he stated that Norway was open to the possibility of EFTA membership for the microstates if they decide to submit an application, and that the country had not made a final decision on the matter. Pascal Schafhauser, the Counsellor of the Liechtenstein Mission to the EU, said that Liechtenstein, another EFTA member state, was willing to discuss EEA membership for the microstates provided their joining did not impede the functioning of the organisation. However, he suggested that the option of direct membership in the EEA for the microstates, outside both the EFTA and the EU, should be given consideration.

On 18 November 2013, the EU Commission concluded that "the participation of the small-sized countries in the EEA is not judged to be a viable option at present due to the political and institutional reasons", and that Association Agreements were a more feasible mechanism to integrate the microstates into the internal market.

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, in a 2016 referendum, voted to withdraw from the European Union. Staying in the EEA, possibly eventually as an EFTA member, was an option suggested by the then Environment Secretary, Michael Gove.

A 2013 research paper presented to the Parliament of the United Kingdom proposed a number of alternatives to EU membership which would continue to allow it access to the EU's internal market, including continued EEA membership as an EFTA member state, or the Swiss model of a number of bilateral treaties covering the provisions of the single market. The United Kingdom was a co-founder of EFTA in 1960, but ceased to be a member upon joining the European Community. In the first meeting since the Brexit vote, EFTA reacted by saying both that it was open to a United Kingdom return and that it had many issues to work through although the Norwegian Government later expressed reservations. In January 2017, Theresa May, then the British prime minister, announced a 12-point plan of negotiating objectives and confirmed that the government of the United Kingdom would not seek continued permanent membership in the single market. The United Kingdom could be allowed by other member states to join the EEA and EFTA but existing EEA members such as Norway would have concerns about taking the risk of opening a difficult negotiation with the EU that could lead them to lose their current advantages. The Scottish Government has looked into membership of the EFTA to retain access to the EEA. However, other EFTA states have stated that only sovereign states are eligible for membership, so it could only join if it became independent from the United Kingdom.

The EEA EFTA States (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) signed a Separation Agreement with the UK on 28 January 2020, which is understood to mirror the EEA-relevant parts of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. The withdrawal agreement stipulated a transition period, following the UK's formal withdrawal on 31 January 2020 and ending 31 December 2020, during which both the United Kingdom and the other EEA members remained bound by the existing obligations stemming from international agreements concluded by the EU, including the EEA Agreement. In January and February 2020, the government of the United Kingdom ruled out a future alignment to the rules of the internal market, effectively ruling out EEA membership after the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

Rights and obligations
The EEA relies on the same "four freedoms" underpinning the European single market as does the European Union: the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital among the EEA countries. Thus, the EEA countries that are not part of the EU enjoy free trade with the European Union. Also, the 'free movement of persons is one of the core rights guaranteed in the European Economic Area (EEA) [...]. It is perhaps the most important right for individuals, as it gives citizens of the 30 EEA countries the opportunity to live, work, establish business and study in any of these countries'.

As a counterpart, these countries have to adopt part of the Law of the European Union. However they also contribute to and influence the formation of new EEA relevant policies and legislation at an early stage as part of a formal decision-shaping process.

Agriculture and fisheries are not covered by the EEA. Not being bound by the Common Fisheries Policy is perceived as very important by Norway and Iceland, and a major reason not to join the EU. The Common Fisheries Policy would mean giving away fishing quotas in their waters.

The EEA countries that are not part of the EU do not contribute financially to Union objectives to the same extent as do its members, although they contribute to the EEA Grants scheme to "reduce social and economic disparities in the EEA". Additionally, some choose to take part in EU programmes such as Trans-European Networks and the European Regional Development Fund. Norway also has its own Norway Grants scheme. After the EU/EEA enlargement of 2004, there was a tenfold increase in the financial contribution of the EEA States, in particular Norway, to social and economic cohesion in the Internal Market (€1167 million over five years).

Legislation
The non-EU members of the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) have agreed to enact legislation similar to that passed in the EU in the areas of social policy, consumer protection, environment, company law and statistics. These are some of the areas covered by the former European Community (the "first pillar" of the European Union).

The non-EU members of the EEA are not represented in Institutions of the European Union such as the European Parliament or European Commission. This situation has been described as "fax democracy", with Norway waiting for their latest legislation to be faxed from the commission. However, EEA countries are consulted about new EU legislative proposals and participate in shaping legislation at an early stage. The EEA Agreement contains provisions for input from the EEA/EFTA countries at various stages before legislation is adopted, including consent at the EEA Joint Committee. Once approved at the EEA Joint Committee, it is part of the EEA Agreement, and the EFTA states within the EEA must implement it in their national law.

Institutions
The EEA Joint Committee consists of the EEA-EFTA States plus the European Commission (representing the EU) and has the function of amending the EEA Agreement to include relevant EU legislation. An EEA Council meets twice yearly to govern the overall relationship between the EEA members.

Rather than setting up pan-EEA institutions, the activities of the EEA are regulated by the European Union institutions, as well as the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court. The EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court regulate the activities of the EFTA members in respect of their obligations in the European Economic Area (EEA). The EFTA Surveillance Authority performs the European Commission's role as "guardian of the treaties" for the EFTA countries to ensure the EEA Agreement is being followed. The EFTA Court performs a similar role to the European Court of Justice's in that it resolves disputes under the EEA Agreement.

While the ECJ and European Commission are respectively responsible for the interpretation and application of the EEA Agreement in the EU (between EU member states and within EU member states), and the EFTA Court and EFTA Surveillance Authority are likewise respectively responsible for interpreting and monitoring the application of the EEA Agreement among the EEA-EFTA states (between the EEA-EFTA states and within the EEA-EFTA states), disputes between an EU state and an EEA-EFTA state are referred to the EEA Joint Committee rather to either court. Only if the Joint Committee cannot provide a resolution within three months, would the disputing parties jointly submit to the ECJ for a ruling (if the dispute concerns provisions identical to EU law) or to arbitration (in all other cases).

The original plan for the EEA lacked the EFTA Court or the EFTA Surveillance Authority, as the "EEA court" (which would be composed of five European Court of Justice members and three members from EFTA countries and which would be functionally integrated with the ECJ) and the European Commission were to exercise those roles. However, during the negotiations for the EEA agreement, the European Court of Justice informed the Council of the European Union (Opinion 1/91) that they considered that giving the EEA court jurisdiction with respect to EU law that would be part of the EEA law, would be a violation of the treaties, and therefore the current arrangement was developed instead. After having negotiated the Surveillance Authority, the ECJ confirmed its legality in Opinion 1/92.

The EFTA Secretariat is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The EFTA Surveillance Authority has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium (the same location as the headquarters of the European Commission), while the EFTA Court has its headquarters in Luxembourg (the same location as the headquarters of the European Court of Justice).

EEA and Norway Grants
The EEA and Norway Grants are the financial contributions of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reduce social and economic disparities in Europe. In the period from 2004 to 2009, €1.3 billion of project funding is made available for project funding in the 15 beneficiary states in Central and Southern Europe.

Established in conjunction with the 2004 enlargement of the European Economic Area (EEA), which brings together the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in the Internal Market, the EEA and Norway Grants were administered by the Financial Mechanism Office, which is affiliated to the EFTA Secretariat in Brussels.

title: European Economic Area


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Xhosa language

Xhosa, formerly spelled Xosa and also known by its local name isiXhosa, is a Nguni language, indigenous to Southern Africa and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 10 million people and as a second language by another 10 million, mostly in South Africa, particularly in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng, and also in parts of Zimbabwe and Lesotho. It has perhaps the heaviest functional load of click consonants in a Bantu language (approximately tied with Yeyi), with one count finding that 10% of basic vocabulary items contained a click.

Classification
Xhosa is part of the branch of Nguni languages, which also include Zulu, Southern Ndebele and Northern Ndebele, called the Zunda languages. Zunda languages effectively form a dialect continuum of variously mutually intelligible varieties.

Xhosa is, to a large extent, mutually intelligible with Zulu and with other Nguni languages to a lesser extent. Nguni languages are, in turn, classified under the much larger abstraction of Bantu languages.

Geographical distribution
Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. approximately 5.3 million Xhosa-speakers, the majority, live in the Eastern Cape, followed by the Western Cape (approximately 1 million), Gauteng (671,045), the Free State (246,192), KwaZulu-Natal (219,826), North West (214,461), Mpumalanga (46,553), the Northern Cape (51,228), and Limpopo (14,225). There is a small but significant Xhosa community of about 200,000 in Zimbabwe. Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.

Latin script
The Xhosa language employs 26 letters from the Latin alphabet; some of the letters have different pronunciations from English. Phonemes not represented by one of the 26 letters are written as multiple letters. Tone, stress, and vowel length are parts of the language but are generally not indicated in writing.

Vowels
Xhosa has an inventory of ten vowels:, , , and  written a, e, i, o and u in order, all occurring in both long and short. The vowel is long in the penultimate syllable and short in the last syllable.

Tones
Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. Tones are rarely marked in the written language, but they can be indicated,  ,  ,. Long vowels are phonemic but are usually not written except for and, which are each sequence of two vowels with different tones that are realized as long vowels with contour tones ( high–low = falling,  low–high = rising).

Consonants
Xhosa is rich in uncommon consonants. Besides pulmonic egressive sounds, which are found in all spoken languages, it has a series of ejective stops and one implosive stop.

It has 18 click consonants (in comparison, Juǀʼhoan, spoken in Botswana and Namibia, has 48, and Taa, with roughly 4,000 speakers in Botswana, has 83). There is a series of six dental clicks, represented by the letter, similar to the sound represented in English by "tut-tut" or "tsk-tsk"; a series of six alveolar lateral clicks, represented by the letter , similar to the sound used to call horses; and a series of alveolar clicks, represented by the letter , that sounds somewhat like a cork pulled from a bottle.

The following table lists the consonant phonemes of the language, with the pronunciation in IPA on the left and the orthography on the right:

 * 1) Two additional consonants, and, are found in borrowings. Both are spelled.
 * 2) Two additional consonants, and, are found in borrowings. Both are spelled.
 * 3) Two additional consonants, and, are found in loans. Both are spelled , as the sound.
 * 4) An additional consonant, is found in loans. It is spelled.
 * 5) The onset cluster from phonologized loanwords such as ikliniki "the clinic" can be realized as a single consonant.
 * 6) The unwritten glottal stop is present in words like uku(ʔ)ayinela "to iron", uku(ʔ)a(ʔ)aza "to stutter", uku(ʔ)amza "to stall".
 * 7) In informal writing, this murmured consonant can sometimes be seen spelled as as in ukuvha, but this is non-standard.
 * 8) Sequences of as in ukushiywa "abandonment" are phonologically realized, but this sound is non-phonemic.

In addition to the ejective affricate, the spelling may also be used for either of the aspirated affricates  and.

The breathy voiced glottal fricative is sometimes spelled.

The ejectives tend to be ejective only in careful pronunciation or in salient positions and, even then, only for some speakers. Otherwise, they tend to be tenuis (plain) stops. Similarly, the tenuis (plain) clicks are often glottalised, with a long voice onset time, but that is uncommon.

The murmured clicks, plosives and affricates are only partially voiced, with the following vowel murmured for some speakers. That is, da may be pronounced (or, equivalently, ). They are better described as slack voiced than as breathy voiced. They are truly voiced only after nasals, but the oral occlusion is then very short in stops, and it usually does not occur at all in clicks. Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. (They may also be voiced between vowels in some speaking styles.) The more notable characteristic is their depressor effect on the tone of the syllable.

Consonant changes with prenasalisation
When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. The murmur no longer shifts to the following vowel. Fricatives become affricated and, if voiceless, they become ejectives as well: mf is pronounced, ndl is pronounced , n+hl becomes ntl , n+z becomes ndz , n+q becomes [n͡ŋǃʼ] etc. The orthographic b in mb is the voiced plosive. Prenasalisation occurs in several contexts, including on roots with the class 9 prefix /iN-/, for example on an adjective which is feature-matching its noun:

/iN- + ɬɛ/ → [intɬɛ] "beautiful" (of a class 9 word like inja "dog")

When aspirated clicks are prenasalised, the silent letter  is added  to prevent confusion with the nasal clicks, and are actually distinct sounds. The prenasalized versions have a very short voicing at the onset which then releases in an ejective, like the prenasalized affricates, while the phonemically nasal clicks have a very long voicing through the consonant. When plain voiceless clicks are prenasalized, they become slack voiced nasal.

Consonant changes with palatalisation
Palatalisation is a change that affects labial consonants whenever they are immediately followed by. While palatalisation occurred historically, it is still productive, as is shown by palatalization before the passive suffix /-w/ and before diminutive suffix /-ana/. This process can skip rightwards to non-local syllables (i.e. uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. uku-bhal+wa -> ukubhalwa "to be written", instead of illicit *ukujalwa). The palatalization process only applies once, as evidenced by ukuphuphumisa+wa -> ukuphuphunyiswa "to be made to overflow", instead of the illicit alternative, *ukuphutshunyiswa.

Morphology
In keeping with many other Bantu languages, Xhosa is an agglutinative language, with an array of prefixes and suffixes that are attached to root words. As in other Bantu languages, nouns in Xhosa are classified into morphological classes, or genders (15 in Xhosa), with different prefixes for both singular and plural. Various parts of speech that qualify a noun must agree with the noun according to its gender. Agreements usually reflect part of the original class with which the word agrees. The word order is subject–verb–object, like in English.

The verb is modified by affixes to mark subject, object, tense, aspect and mood. The various parts of the sentence must agree in both class and number.

Nouns
The Xhosa noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages.

The following table gives an overview of Xhosa noun classes, arranged according to singular-plural pairs.

1 Before monosyllabic stems, e.g. ili so (eye),  ulu hlu (list).

2 is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. is andla/ iz andla (hand/hands).

3 The placeholder N in the prefixes iN- and iiN- is a nasal consonant which assimilates in place to the following consonant (producing an im- before vowels), but is typically absent in loanwords.

4 Before monosyllabic stems in some words.

Verbs
Verbs use the following prefixes for the subject and object:

Examples

 * ukudlala – to play
 * ukubona – to see
 * umntwana – a child
 * abantwana – children

 * umntwana uyadlala – the child is playing
 * abantwana bayadlala – the children are playing

 * indoda – a man
 * amadoda – men

 * indoda iyambona umntwana – the man sees the child
 * amadoda ayababona abantwana – the men see the children

Sample phrases and text
The following is a list of phrases that can be used when one visits a region whose primary language is Xhosa:

History

Xhosa-speaking people have inhabited coastal regions of southeastern Africa since before the 16th century. They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and their language as isiXhosa. Ancestors of the Xhosa migrated to the east coast of Africa and came across Khoisan-speaking people; "as a result of this contact, the Xhosa people borrowed some Khoisan words along with their pronunciation, for instance, the click sounds of the Khoisan languages". The Bantu ancestor of Xhosa did not have clicks, which attests to a strong historical contact with a Khoisan language that did. An estimated 15% of Xhosa vocabulary is of Khoisan origin.

John Bennie was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. Bennie, along with John Ross (another missionary), set up a printing press in the Tyhume Valley and the first printed works in Xhosa came out in 1823 from the Lovedale Press in the Alice region of the Eastern Cape. But, as with any language, Xhosa had a rich history of oral traditions from which the society taught, informed, and entertained one another. The first Bible translation was in 1859, produced in part by Henry Hare Dugmore.

Role in modern society
The role of indigenous languages in South Africa is complex and ambiguous. Their use in education has been governed by legislation, beginning with the Bantu Education Act, 1953.

At present, Xhosa is used as the main language of instruction in many primary schools and some secondary schools, but is largely replaced by English after the early primary grades, even in schools mainly serving Xhosa-speaking communities. The language is also studied as a subject in such schools.

The language of instruction at universities in South Africa is English (or Afrikaans, to a diminishing extent ), and Xhosa is taught as a subject, both for native and for non-native speakers.

Literary works, including prose and poetry, are available in Xhosa, as are newspapers and magazines. The South African Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts in Xhosa on both radio (on Umhlobo Wenene FM) and television, and films, plays and music are also produced in the language. The best-known performer of Xhosa songs outside South Africa was Miriam Makeba, whose Click Song #1 (Xhosa Qongqothwane) and "Click Song #2" (Baxabene Ooxam) are known for their large number of click sounds.

, the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.

Anthem
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika is part of the national anthem of South Africa, national anthem of Tanzania and Zambia, and the former anthem of Zimbabwe and Namibia. It is a hymn written in Xhosa by Enoch Sontonga in 1897. The single original stanza was:

 * Nkosi, sikelel' iAfrika;
 * Maluphakanyis' uphondo lwayo;
 * Yizwa imithandazo yethu
 * Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

 * Lord, bless Africa;
 * May her horn rise high up;
 * Hear Thou our prayers
 * Lord, bless us, its family (, the family of Africa).

Additional stanzas were written later by Sontonga and other writers, and the original verse was translated into Sotho and Afrikaans, as well as English.

In popular culture
In The Lion King and its reboot, Rafiki the sagely mandrill chants in Xhosa. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the language spoken in the fictional African nation of Wakanda is Xhosa. This came about because South African actor John Kani, a native of the Eastern Cape province who plays Wakandan King T'Chaka, speaks Xhosa and suggested that the directors of the fictional Civil War incorporate a dialogue in the language. For Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler "wanted to make it a priority to use Xhosa as much as possible" in the script, and provided dialect coaches for the film's actors.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Xhosa language


text:
West Atlantic languages

The West Atlantic languages (also the Atlantic languages or North Atlantic languages ) of West Africa are a major subgroup of the Niger–Congo languages.

The Atlantic languages are spoken along the Atlantic coast from Senegal to Liberia, though transhumant Fula speakers have spread eastward and are found in large numbers across the Sahel, from Senegal to Nigeria, Cameroon and Sudan. Wolof of Senegal and several of the Fula languages are the most populous Atlantic languages, with several million speakers each. Other significant members include Serer and the Jola dialect cluster of Senegal. Temne, a major language of Sierra Leone, was included in the Atlantic subgroup in earlier classifications but in modern proposals, it is no longer grouped within Atlantic.

Most Atlantic languages exhibit consonant mutation and have noun-class systems similar to those of the distantly related Bantu languages. Some languages are tonal, while others such as Wolof have pitch-accent systems. The basic word order tends to be SVO.

Traditional classification
The Atlantic family was first identified by Sigismund Koelle in 1854. In the early 20th century, Carl Meinhof claimed that Fula was a Hamitic language, but August von Klingenhaben and Joseph Greenberg's work established Fula's close relationship with Wolof and Serer. W. A. A. Wilson notes that the validity of the family as a whole rests on much weaker evidence, though it is clear that the languages are part of the Niger–Congo family, based on evidence such as a shared noun-class system. However, comparative work on Niger–Congo is in its infancy. Classifications of Niger–Congo, usually based on lexicostatistics, generally propose that the various Atlantic languages are rather divergent, but less so than Mande and other languages that lack noun classes.

David Sapir (1971) proposed a classification of Atlantic into three branches, a northern group, a southern group, and the divergent Bijago language of the Bissagos Islands off the coast of Guinea-Bissau:

 * Atlantic
 * Northern
 * Sénégal languages: Fula–Serer; Wolof
 * Cangin languages
 * Bak languages (not including Bijago)
 * Eastern Sénégal–Portuguese Guinea languages
 * Tenda languages
 * Biafada–Pajade
 * Kobiana–Kasanga–Banhum
 * Nalu–Mbulungish–Baga Mboteni
 * Bijago
 * Southern
 * Sua
 * Mel languages (including Gola)
 * Limba

Sapir's classification is widely cited in handbooks on African linguistics (e.g. Bender 1989, Williamson & Blench 2000), and is also used in the Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019).

Recent proposals
The unity of the Atlantic languages—as traditionally defined—has long been questioned, e.g. Dalby (1965), who argued for the Mel languages as a primary branch of Niger–Congo. At the current state of research, the wide concept of Atlantic (i.e. including the Southern languages) within the Niger–Congo family is no longer held up.

Segerer (2010, 2016 ) and Pozdniakov & Segerer (2017) propose a narrowed-down version of the Atlantic languages by excluding all languages of the southern branch, which they treat as four primary branches (viz. Sua, Limba, Gola, and the Mel languages) within the Niger–Congo family. The Bak languages are split from the northern languages as a coordinate subbranch within Atlantic (in the narrow sense). Bijago is assigned to the Bak languages.

Güldemann (2018) goes even further, and also treats Nalu and Mbulungish–Baga Mboteni ("Rio Nunez") as unclassified first-order branches of Niger–Congo.

Vossen & Dimmendaal (2020)
Revised classification of the Atlantic languages (Vossen & Dimmendaal 2020:166, from Pozdniakov & Segerer ):

 * Atlantic
 * North
 * Wolof: Wolof, Lebu
 * Nyun-Buy
 * Nyun (Gunyaamolo, Gujaher, Gubëeher, etc.)
 * Buy (Kasanga, Kobiana)
 * Tenda-Jaad
 * Tenda: Basari, Tanda, Bedik, Bapen; Konyagi
 * Jaad: Biafada; Badiaranke
 * Fula-Sereer
 * Fula (Pular, Pulaar, Fulfulde, etc.)
 * Sereer
 * Cangin
 * Palor, Ndut
 * Noon, Laala, Saafi
 * Nalu
 * Nalu
 * Bage Fore
 * Baga Mboteni
 * Bak
 * Balant: Ganja, Kentohe, Fraase
 * Joola-Manjaku
 * Joola: Fogny, Banjal, Kasa, Kwaatay, Karon, Ejamat, Keeraak, etc.; Bayot ?
 * Manjaku
 * Bok, Cur, Bassarel
 * Pepel
 * Mankanya
 * Bijogo: Kamona, Kagbaaga, Kajoko

Merrill (2021)
Merrill (2021) proposes that Atlantic (or North Atlantic) is not a valid subgroup of Niger-Congo, but rather considers each of the established Atlantic "branches" to all be primary branches of Niger-Congo. Furthermore, Merrill suggests that due to the divergence of the Atlantic languages, the homeland of Niger-Congo may lie in the northwest of sub-Saharan Africa.

 * North Atlantic geographical area
 * Fula-Sereer (branch)
 * Fula
 * Sereer
 * Cangin
 * Wolof
 * Bainunk-Kobiana-Kasanga (branch)
 * Kobiana
 * Gujaher
 * Gubëeher
 * Guñaamolo
 * Biafada-Pajade (branch)
 * Pajade
 * Biafada
 * Tenda (branch)
 * Konyagi
 * Bassari
 * Bedik
 * Bak (branch)
 * Joola
 * Manjak
 * Balanta
 * Bijogo (branch)

Merrill (2021) also notes that Tenda and Biafada-Pajade share similarities with each other, and may possibly form a linkage.

Reconstruction
Proto-Atlantic lexical innovations reconstructed by Pozdniakov & Segerer (2017):

Wilson (2007:36) also proposed the tentative Proto-Atlantic reconstructions:

Sample Atlantic cognate sets:

Reconstructions for indivuadal West Atlantic branches can be found in Merrill (2021).

Numerals
Comparison of numerals in individual languages:

title: West Atlantic languages


text:
Talk:Heavy metal music

I think "Metal Music" should be separated from "Heavy Metal Music"
Heavy Metal really is a subgenre of metal - they should not really be conflated as they are at the moment. Heavy Metal exclusively refers to the style of metal music that bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica during their eponymous album phase played. "Heavy Metal Music" should not include death metal, black metal, doom metal bands, etc. 76.99.120.109 (talk) 23:45, 16 April 2023 (UTC)

 * We go by what reliable source say...and they don't say that. Sergecross73   msg me  23:47, 16 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Which source DOES say that, then? Also many metal genres aren't a form of rock music, but the style "heavy metal" largely is - hence a separation would indeed be useful. 76.99.120.109 (talk) 01:08, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm confused. Are you suggesting that sources like this don't exist? Thats preposterous. I did the most basic Google search and after 5 seconds found a WP:RSMUSIC- approved source "Heavy Metal 101: The History of Death Metal". I'm sure the rest could be just as easily proved. This is a Featured Article after all - which doesn't mean it's perfect...but it does making massive oversights going unnoticed rather unlikely. Sergecross73   msg me  03:00, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

would honestly agree. "Metal" is the umbrella term. "Heavy Metal" is the genre bands like Priest, Maiden etc play. At least thats the most common interpretation --FMSky (talk) 09:22, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

 * Based on what? Sergecross73   msg me  11:28, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Yeah we'll need the work to be done based on sources before anything else happens. Popcornfud (talk) 11:48, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Exactly. And even with sources, I believe this would be difficult to ever realistically discern - "heavy metal" and "metal" are commonly used interchangeably. (The article even addresses this currently.) Sergecross73   msg me  12:08, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * just the way i see it most commonly used, be it when personally talking with people or just in the internet in general. for example https://www.reddit.com/r/Metal/, https://rateyourmusic.com/genre/metal/ or https://www.metal-archives.com/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by FMSky (talk • contribs)
 * All three of these are unreliable sources. — Czello (music) 15:45, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * You're an experienced editor FMSky, so I'm rather shocked you would suggest that Reddit would be a usable source on Wikipedia. Are you really suggesting we restructure a Featured Article for parity with a Reddit group?? Seriously?  Sergecross73   msg me  16:41, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I know and i'm not suggesting them as sources lol, i'm just saying that people in general (in real life or the internet) call the genre Metal most often, and its imo the WP:COMMONNAME--FMSky (talk) 16:48, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, that part is closer to the point I was saying - the two terms are often used interchangeably. The article is likely at the heavy metal music article title and not any other variant because of WP:NATDAB reasons. But none of the things either one of us have talked about offer any sort of valid support for the split the IP is suggesting. Sergecross73   msg me  17:32, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Well I respectfully disagree - heavy metal may have been used as a catch all for "metal" in general, maybe forty years ago, but back then hard rock and acid rock were also used synonymously with the term, too. Even in this article, it says this. In this article it says that Gene Simmons does not consider Metallica to be heavy metal (I didn't check when those statements were made) and frankly I would agree with him (Metallica from 1983 until 1988, that is) - but it's undeniable that they are a metal band in general.
 * If you look at the different languages tab here, you'll see that many foreign Wikipedias do in fact differentiate heavy metal as a subgenre of metal in general, including but no t limited to the excellent German Wikipedia, which has an article for both "Metal" [music], and "heavy metal," and that this article, heavy metal music, redirects the page to the "Metal" page, not the "heavy metal," as well as the other languages that make this distinction. 76.99.120.109 (talk) 18:07, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Sources please! Popcornfud (talk) 18:09, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I provided no new information here, the sources that state hard rock and acid rock and whatever used to be used synonymously with heavy metal are literally in this article (if it's sourced) lmao 76.99.120.109 (talk) 18:18, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * You can "lmao" all you want, but you're not going to persuade your way into a WP:CONSENSUS to change without better detailing sourcing that shows that your stance is not only supported, but more prevalent than the current approach. You're a very long ways from that currently. Sergecross73   msg me  18:40, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Okay I came here quite politely with a popular contention about this article, and this whole time you have been quite rude and frankly condescending. If you want to ask me to provide sources for this potential change, you don't need to be so patronizing, especially as an admin for this site. Furthermore, you seem to be completely unreceptive to IDEA of a change here, and I don't think any source would be able to persuade you to inasmuch as even looking into this query...
 * I don't care that much about this to deal with this attitude. Most people have the nuance to understand that Wikipedia has conflated the metal umbrella with the heavy metal subgenre. It's not a good look, to be honest, but now I see why no one has had the nerve yet to make this change.
 * The German and Hebrew Wikipedias have this right. The English does not.
 * See ya later. 76.99.120.109 (talk) 04:37, 18 April 2023 (UTC)
 * This article is one of many that I maintain or mediate because it's a magnet for passersby editors to try to shape to their personal opinions rather than adhering to WP:V and WP:RS. Your proposal looks like that in a lot of ways. Maybe you're a victim of being grouped into all of that, but it's hard for me to believe that when you appear to be in multiple disputes related to your refusal to follow policy and guidelines. (Like the one currently ongoing on your own talk page.) You're not going to get anywhere if you refuse to learn how this website works, and that's on you, not me.  Sergecross73   msg me  12:17, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

 * Yeah, I'll agree with that. I realise that this requires extensive work with the sources. The state of wikipedia regarding metal categorisation is like the state of 2004, which is more confusing than useful compared to the rest of the internet. Almost all the information collected on this topic is from sources older than 15 years. Since then, so many genres have evolved and the history of previous genres has been thoroughly described that the distinction between " derived from" and " subspecies of" has become more necessary and meaningful. Obviously, heavy metal (aka traditional heavy metal) is its own thing with its own hierarchy that has spawned a branch of distinct plain metal. Calling the many types of extreme metal subspecies heavy metal is something that rather confuses the reader. So I would definitely support it if someone would start this effort. By the way, on many European wikipedias this situation has long been solved. Solidest (talk) 13:43, 28 September 2023 (UTC)
 * It's been almost half a year and we haven't even had a single person provide evidence that high level reliable sources can even verify this, let alone find someone knowledgeable and motivated enough to take on such a massive undertaking. Sergecross73   msg me  14:05, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

"Extreme heterosexualist ideology"
"Attendees of metal concerts do not dance in the usual sense. It has been argued that this is due to the music's largely male audience and "extreme heterosexualist ideology".

What is this statement, besides ridicilous? Wolfram1987 (talk) 19:55, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

 * Looking at the references, it appears to be referenced from the writings of published author Deena Weinstein (PhD). Sergecross73   msg me  20:15, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
 * "Largely male" is fair, but to describe a subculture where Judas Priest and Queen are as revered as they are in metal circles as "extreme heterosexualist", well...Maybe it "has been argued", but including that in the article seems like giving it undue weight. Rob Halfords own wiki-page mentions that "Halford has previously spoken about the level of acceptance of his sexuality within the metal community, calling it accepting and inclusive.", and on the subject matter I'm prepared to say that "being Rob Halford" lends more credibility to speak on this particular subject than does "has a PhD in Sociology". Wolfram1987 (talk) 21:18, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The commentary is in reference to the genre in a general sense. Anecdotes from a non-heterosexual frontman don't discredit it on a whole. You'd be better off trying to add a counterpoint from Halford than trying to delete the criticism wholesale. Sergecross73   msg me  21:48, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

"Morbid Angel adopted neo-fascist imagery"
This is ridiculous. What is this even in reference to? I checked the source and it doesn't even bother to cite any sources or even name any examples. This should be deleted. 73.227.19.245 (talk) 15:01, 13 April 2024 (UTC)
 * It does cite a source, it cites the book Lords of Chaos (which is, to be fair, known to be lenient with accuracy). The quote from the book is "Floridians Morbid Angel began donning paramilitary clothes for their live appearances, courting a neo-fascist demeanor, and reinforcing it with inopportune and illiberal comments in magazine interviews". Above this quote is a photo of David Vincent performing on stage in an all black paramilitary uniform with an arm band. Issan Sumisu (talk) 15:54, 13 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Seems pretty clear to me... Sergecross73   msg me  16:05, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

"Metal (group)" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Metal_(group)&redirect=no Metal (group)] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 15:36, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

"Ragnarock music" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ragnarock_music&redirect=no Ragnarock music] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 18:02, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

"Bienver metal" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bienver_metal&redirect=no Bienver metal] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 18:06, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Heavy metal music


text:
Talk:Wine (software)

WINE Operating Systems
This article needs clarification. I can't tell whether or not there is a version of this for non-Linux OS. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dullstar (talk • contribs) 17:53, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

It also has a version maintained for os x, and the way it is writen could easily be ported to an unix-like os.--Alex at kms (talk) 06:30, 25 August 2010 (UTC)

Why PlayOnLinux redirects here?
... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.148.37.120 (talk • contribs) 13:41, 26 June 2009

 * You'll have to provide us with a little more to go on than that.  [ジャム] [ t  -  c  ] 13:07, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Windows Mobile?
Does Wine support Windows Mobile applications? --164.67.235.98 (talk) 00:49, 27 September 2009 (UTC)
 * No. Currently, only software for desktop versions work. I think a clarification may be needed here. (Stefan2 (talk) 09:55, 20 August 2011 (UTC))

New wine logo/icon
http://www.airwebreathe.org.uk/wine-icon/

http://www.winehq.org/images/winehq_logo_glass.png —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sav vas (talk • contribs) 20:32, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

And an svg version: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wine-mirror/wine/master/programs/winecfg/logo.svg — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.48.53.157 (talk) 13:33, 11 July 2022 (UTC)

Wine, a recursive acronym for...
Why does this article start with such an awkward sentence? Is it really of such monumental importance to let everybody know what "Wine" stands for? Surely it would be must better just to start the article with "*Wine* is a free software application that aims to allow Unix-like computer operating systems to execute programs written for Microsoft Windows." There is a "Name" section in the article to explain it more fully, after all; alternatively it could be explained in the first paragraph, but I don't see how it adds to that sentence.

The current initial sentence frankly reads as though the phrase about recursive acronyms was put there gratuitously to satisfy some nerd's infatuation with recursive acronyms. 143.167.37.22 (talk) 14:47, 19 April 2010 (UTC)
 * I've cut down the lead. Let's see if it's reverted... Alksentrs (talk) 00:51, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

History of the name?
Apparently WINE not always meant Wine Is Not an Emulator, at one point it was an acronym for WINdows Emulator. See The WINE (WINdows Emulator) FAQ dated 27 November 1998. Anyone know why it was changed? The two even contradict each other. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.135.192.59 (talk) 16:27, 7 June 2010 (UTC)
 * See Talk:Wine (software)/Archive_2. Alksentrs (talk) 17:42, 7 June 2010 (UTC)

Wine kind of is an emulator
As mentioned above, Wine was named as an abbreviation for "Windows Emulator," but later the name's meaning was changed. This name change was in made in an attempt to differentiate the function of Wine from other programs that run in virtual machines. But that doesn't necessarily mean that Wine isn't an emulator. In fact, it is an emulator by the definition here on wikipedia. See Emulator. Objectivesea2 (talk) 05:38, 13 June 2011 (UTC)

Spelling "extant" ?
developers have suggested enhanced tactics such as examining the sources of extant free and open-source software.

"extant" ..? Electron9 (talk) 17:18, 19 June 2011 (UTC)
 * From Wiktionary: "Currently existing".
 * (Tip: Type "wikt:" followed by a word in the Wikipedia search box to look it up in Wiktionary.)
 * Alksentrs (talk) 18:39, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Concerning the citation needed tag
The citation needed tag was removed with the edit summary explained in article body. I'm probably just missing it, but I'm not seeing where it explains that that Wine provides "alternative implementations of the DLLs that Windows programs call." - SudoGhost™ 19:45, 5 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Are you referring to this? Well, yes, the body does explain it indeed. See Architecture section. Fleet Command (talk) 11:48, 6 July 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm still not seeing where it says that wine provides alternative implementations of the DLLs that Windows programs call. The only mention of DLLs in that section is at the end, where it discusses Wine's DLLs being used on Windows. - SudoGhost™ 14:40, 8 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Section says: "Wine implements the Windows API entirely in user space". The lead section refers to Windows API as "DLLs that Windows programs call". Seriously, isn't that obvious? Still, maybe you like to see more source. Fleet Command (talk) 16:49, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

pwd?
Say you have a dual-boot Windows & Linux machine, you launch Linux and want to run this one Windows program, so you use WINE. Which is the working directory then? $HOME (~/.), or wherever your home dir is on the Windows filesystem? For example, running a Windows web browser, will you find your bookmarks and all your settings, or do you have to recreate all in your *nix home dir? Or point to the Windows folder via a soft link?

I searched the article, the talk page and its archives for "filesystem" (and "file system"), and got no hits. --Jerome Potts (talk) 04:00, 24 August 2011 (UTC)

 * Maybe some things need to be added to the article.
 * The current working directory is the directory in which you run the "wine" command (i.e. the same directory as the one returned by the UNIX "pwd" command). If you type "cd /foo/bar; wine someprogram", then the working directory for the program "someprogram" is the directory /foo/bar. This assumes that the directory /foo/bar can be expressed as a Windows-style directory (e.g. Z:\foo\bar; not sure what happens if this isn't possible). Of course, the program "somedirectory" may change the current working directory (I think Wine's start.exe does this).
 * When you use Wine for the first time, Wine creates a fake C: drive (usually stored as ~/.wine/drive_c). This contains various things which Windows programs expect a C: drive to contain, such as a Windows home directory. All of your settings would have to be set up again in Wine's C: drive.
 * Other X: drives can be created and be mapped to any directory of your choice. For example, if you wish to install a program, you might need to map the directory of the CD's mount point to e.g. D:. By default, Wine creates a Z: drive which points to the UNIX root (/) so that any file can be accessed by Windows programs.
 * You can change the directory to which you map your C: drive. If you change your C: drive to the mount point of a real Windows C: drive, it is supposed to break Windows, requiring a re-installation of Windows.
 * Symlinking to some directories containing settings for other programs might be possible for certain specific programs, but it sounds scary to me.
 * I'll try finding sources for all of this (should be easy) and see what I can add to the article. (Stefan2 (talk) 14:44, 29 September 2011 (UTC))

Re: WINE is not an emulator
The language describing WINE has been changed multiple times. I originally changed it to say "WINE is both a compatibility layer and an emulator." I support that claim using the definition of "Emulator":

The definition for "Emulator" here on Wikipedia states that an emulator is "hardware or software or both that duplicates (or emulates) the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system." By such a definition, WINE is certainly an emulator.

Merriam Webster's definition for emulator: "hardware or software that permits programs written for one computer to be run on another computer." Again, WINE fits the definition.

I have changed the language, hopefully for the final time. It now reads "Wine is a compatibility layer." If anyone wants to add the statement "Wine is not an emulator," they should find supporting sources. It is not sufficient to cite WINE's meaning, nor the fact that WINE differs in function from other emulators. It is still an emulator.

Objectivesea2 (talk) 05:38, 13 June 2011 (UTC) -- Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.92.211.22 (talk)

2023

 * Talk:Wine (software) might fit this topic. Even if Wine fits the definition for an emulator, it's a bit of a messy topic, it's probably safer just to define Wine as a translation layer (compatibility layer). Orowith2os (talk) 00:07, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

Not emulated, but substituted

 * Windows API calls and services also are not emulated, but rather substituted with Linux equivalents that are compiled for x86 and run at full, native speed.

I'm having a hard time parsing this. Does Wine modify executables before they run? Is this just a way of saying that it provides replacements for Windows system calls? Q VVERTYVS (hm?) 22:47, 25 December 2013 (UTC)

 * Pretty much. Wine supplies the actual ABI that Windows software can actually call. Hence "compatibility layer" rather than "emulator". The distinction observably confuses people, but there should be some way of making it clear ... this article's only been having this problem for ten years or so ;-) - David Gerard (talk) 13:46, 26 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, I've looked at the relevant para - it's about services. wineserver supplies those - David Gerard (talk) 13:48, 26 December 2013 (UTC)

 * Right, so it's exactly the same trick that the Linux/Unix emulators on *BSD pull off? Those execute Linux/Unix binaries by linking them with a custom libc, taken from the host operating system, and provide a syscall table that matches the one of their target OS rather than the BSD one.
 * In that case, it's just the Wine devs' opinion that they're not emulating Windows by providing its interface. Q VVERTYVS (hm?) 21:55, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
 * And those get called "compatibility layers" too. See compatibility layer for more on the fine semantic distinction - David Gerard (talk) 22:59, 28 December 2013 (UTC)

2022
Whether Wine "is an emulator" or not depends on exactly how you define "emulator". There is no absolute, perfect, correct definition. As the word is usually used, I would say Wine is an emulator. It does not modify executables. It runs executables in an environment that looks to the executable like Windows.

But really, what's in a name? If the developers say Wine stands for "Wine is not an emulator", that's their decision. It's their work, they can call it whatever they like and explain the name any way they like. If they're using the word "emulator" in an unusual sense ... so what? Longitude2 (talk) 23:13, 7 March 2022 (UTC)

fix preview version
i update preview version to new with [+/-] but the article one time saved doesn't corresponds to correct update. Is possible add stable/preview version to edit and delete this two templates?.

--Patrios (talk) 22:41, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

Does the Linux Unified Kernel have enough notability for an article?
It's actually nothing whatsoever to do with Wine, and it doesn't have an article itself, just a redirect here for no actually good reason. Being something that emulates a bit of Windows in Linux is not really sufficient - David Gerard (talk) 23:46, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

API or rather ABI?
An API serves source code portability, it results in being able to compile, then execute programs. The same API can be maintained over multiple instruction sets, e.g. x86, ARM and Power Architecture. An ABI server binary portability, it results in being able to execute already compiled programs. It is not possible to have the same ABI over different Instruction sets!

This is absolutely not the same. It is much harder to implement and maintain an ABI. In case you want to run already compiled programs, Adobe Photoshop or some Video game, you care about the ABI. ScotXW (talk) 12:03, 27 February 2014 (UTC)

 * I suspect you're quite correct here. WineHQ talks about "API calls" (and so does the article), but the way that a binary makes an API call is ... using the ABI - David Gerard (talk) 20:18, 27 February 2014 (UTC)

 * I've changed "API" to "ABI" as appropriate (in the ones I left, I think they really do mean "API") - David Gerard (talk) 20:23, 27 February 2014 (UTC)

Any evidence of noteworthiness for Pipelight/wine-compholio?
The refs appear to be first-party. I've never heard of this thing. Has Pipelight/wine-compholio attracted any verifiable third-party noteworthiness anywhere? - David Gerard (talk) 20:37, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

 * I'd try to explain. Take netflix which is used by quite a lot of people. It does not work on linux, but with Pipelight/wine-compholio does. For those netflix users which have linux the software it is noteworthy. Then there is no other way to run Silverlight in native browser, other than with Pipelight. So was there an attempt to have silverlight on linux? yes, Moonlight (runtime) which was abandoned, but still was noteworthy. Pipelight is another attempt which works with most of Silverlight 4/5 apps on the net. SergeyKurdakov (talk) 21:10, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

 * That appears to be "no, there is no verifiable third-party evidence of noteworthiness" - David Gerard (talk) 21:39, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 2 one external links on Wine (software). Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20100211142218/http://www.desktoplinux.com:80/news/NS8454912761.html to http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS8454912761.html
 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20081219102335/http://www.winehq.org:80/site/docs/wine-faq/index to https://winehq.org/site/docs/wine-faq/index#UNDER-WHAT-PLATFORMS-WILL-WINE-RUN

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 16:00, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

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Worth mentioning the Catalina issues?
It's been ages since Catalina went live, and TTBOMK Wine still doesn't have a working build for it. I know they're working on it, but should this maybe go in the article anyway? Magic9mushroom (talk) 06:56, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Too much (non-introduced) jargon
Jargon and things that are not introduced include "WineHQ" (may or may not refer to the web site www.winehq.org), "wine-compholio", "upstream", "bottle versioning", and "fork" (given the intended audience).

--Mortense (talk) 12:29, 28 December 2021 (UTC)

 * I linked the word "fork" to Fork (software development), which is a fairly widely-known term. AnonMoos (talk) 20:52, 28 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Widely-used, at least in the free-software community, but I think User:Mortense may have been suggesting that the intended audience has a lot of members not in the free-software community and not familiar with the term. Guy Harris (talk) 21:06, 28 December 2021 (UTC)

Reception
Section is incredibly one-sided, and may as well be renamed to "Criticism". Even the lead of the section announces that complaints and concerns are coming up. --Talky Muser (talk) 17:19, 16 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Wine (software)


text:
Talk:History of Libya

Untitled
This isn't history, it's current events. How about some of the thousand-plus years of Libya's history? -- isis 12:39 Sep 29, 2002 (UTC)

Could somebody please explain to me how Frederic the Catholic of Spain could have given the knights control of Libya in 1528, if (according to the link) he died in 1516?
 * Oop! That was my gaffe, back in Sept. 2003. Good call. It was his heir, Charles V. The Knights of St John were based in Malta. Columbia Encyclopedia: "Captured in 1510 by the Spanish, Tripoli was granted (1528) to the Knights of St. John, who held it until 1551, when it was taken by the Ottoman Turks." Following their expulsion from Rhodes, "After seven years in limbo, Villiers obtained permission to locate the order in Malta from Emperor Charles V in exchange for the annual gift of a falcon and their obligation to defend Tripoli (in Libya) from the Muslims." acc. to this amateur website. Can anyone re-edit this bit with better sources than I? -Wetman 15:57, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

What about Omar Mukhtar?
Shoudn't Omar Mukhtar at least get a mention in this page somewhere ? The Italian Colony section is where it should go, but I'm not sure where to put it in without ruining the current section. ---Mpatel (talk) 11:31, 13 November 2005 (UTC)

Egypt-Libya war
Where is the Egypt-Libya war of 1977 see German articel:

 * started it, based on the german article --Astrokey 44 07:03, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

The pogrom and expulsion of all Jews in 1967
Deserves a mention. AnonMoos 21:18, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

Gaps
This page skips from 730 B.C. to the Muslim period. Antiquity is ignored. I.e., the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Macedonians, Ptolemaic Greeks, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantine are ignored. (1400 years!). (comment by User:Ezsober moved from article)
 * You're right, of course. I have no immediate plans to work on this article myself but some of the information you are looking for may be found at Cyrene, Libya. Cheers. --Folantin (talk) 09:04, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

1937 civil war
Yesterday, Saif al-Islam Muammer al-Gaddafi warned of a return to the civil war of 1937 in his rambling attempt to end the 2011 Libyan protests. This page doesn't mention anything about such a civil war. Did anything in fact happen in 1937? The Library of Congress country study doesn't mention anything either. Ucucha 16:30, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

The cryptic "The onset of the 5.9 kiloyear event's..."
I'm informed in history and  that's puzzling to me, probably to many readers. Should be translated into plain  English. 74.60.161.158 (talk) 00:36, 28 April 2015 (UTC)

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Hello, I have added a citation to the "Kingdom" section labeled number 31 in order to prevent from plagiarizing material due to the fact that it was taken directly from another source without giving credit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lkobus (talk • contribs) 21:02, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

 * Did you also add "" to mark the text? It might be best to remove the material all together. You could copy it here to the talk page with the source and ask someone to please paraphrase it before moving it back to the main page. Aschuet1 (talk) 17:01, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Removed Plagiarized Paragraph
In the section "Kingdom" I noticed there was a quote that was directly plagiarized from a source, and I removed it. If there is someone who would like to paraphrase that information and add back in that would be great. However, the source that it originally came from did not seem credible to me, so if you are looking to add in that information again I would find a more reliable source to cite. Lkobus (talk) 20:55, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

title: Talk:History of Libya


text:
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in southwest London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. It is governed by Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council. The population is 198,019 and the major communities are Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Kew, Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington and Hampton.

The borough is home to Richmond Park, the largest park in London, along with the National Physical Laboratory and The National Archives. The attractions of Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham Stadium and the WWT London Wetlands Centre are within its boundaries and draw domestic and international tourism. In 2023, the borough was ranked first in Rightmove's Happy at Home index, making it the "happiest place to live in Great Britain"; the first time a London borough has taken the top spot.

History
There had been a borough called Richmond since 1890 when the Municipal Borough of Richmond was created. It was enlarged in 1892 to include Kew, Petersham and North Sheen, and again in 1933 to include Ham.

The larger London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the former borough of Richmond plus the neighbouring Municipal Borough of Barnes and the Municipal Borough of Twickenham. Barnes and Richmond had both been in Surrey prior to the reforms, whilst Twickenham had been in Middlesex. The area was transferred to Greater London to become one of the 32 London boroughs. The new borough was named 'Richmond upon Thames' rather than just Richmond as the old borough had been called; it is the only London borough to straddle the River Thames.

Geography
The borough is approximately half parkland, with notable parks including Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Kew Gardens, Old Deer Park and Hampton Court Park. There are over 100 parks and open spaces in the borough and 21 mi of river frontage. 140 hectares within the borough are designated as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

The predominant other land use is residential. Most businesses within the borough consist of retail, property improvement/development and professional services. Parts of the borough, including Barnes, Richmond, St Margarets, Cambridge Park and Marble Hill, some areas of Twickenham and much of East Sheen rival Stanmore Hill and Kenley as the highest house-price districts and neighbourhoods in Outer London.

The borough is home to the National Physical Laboratory and the attractions of Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham Stadium and the WWT London Wetlands Centre that draw domestic and international tourism.

The River Thames becomes narrower than at any part of Inner London towards its flow into the borough and becomes non-tidal at Teddington Lock in the borough; its main axis runs south to north, rather than west to east through more than half of the borough.

London's German business and expatriate community is centred on this borough, which houses the German School London (DSL) and most of the capital's German expatriates.

List of neighbourhoods
The local authority divides the borough into fourteen loosely bounded neighbourhoods, or "villages". Some of the neighbourhoods have the same name as their associated political ward, but the boundaries are not officially aligned. There is also no direct alignment between these areas and postcode districts, which tend to cover much broader areas, crossing the borough boundaries. There are four post towns based in the borough: Hampton, Richmond, Teddington and Twickenham. Parts of the borough come under the London post town, including Barnes and Mortlake, and there are several other peripheral parts of post towns based in neighbouring boroughs which straddle the administrative boundary. Although most addresses in the borough have TW postcodes, some have SW and KT postcodes.

Governance
The council meets at York House in Twickenham and has its main offices at the adjoining Civic Centre at 44 York Street.

Greater London representation
Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly, the borough forms part of the South West constituency.

Parliamentary representation
The borough is split into two constituencies, according to the river. On the north bank, there is the constituency of Twickenham and on the south bank there is the constituency of Richmond Park, which also contains some of the northern wards of the borough of Kingston.

Demography
In 2006, research commissioned by a major mortgage lender found that, on the quantitative statistical indices used, the borough had the best quality of life in London and was in the top quarter of local authorities nationwide. A neighbouring authority in Surrey achieved the best quality of life in that report.

Richmond is one of London's wealthiest boroughs on many measures. It has the lowest rates of poverty, child poverty, low pay, child obesity and adults without level 3 qualifications of any London borough, according to a 2017 research project by Trust for London.

Demography is a diverse picture as in all of London: each district should be looked at separately and even those do not reflect all neighbourhoods. Whatever generalisations are used, "the fine-grained texture of London poverty" by its minutely localised geography must always be taken into account according to an influential poverty report of 2010. Richmond upon Thames has the lowest child poverty rates in London at 20% and contains at least one ward with an above-average level (for London) of working-age adults receiving out-of-work benefits but even this borough – reflecting the best result – has two standard poverty indices of sixteen in which it is placed in the worst quarter of boroughs.

Coat of arms
The borough's history is reflected in the coat of arms, which was officially granted on 7 May 1966. It is: Ermine a portcullis or within a bordure gules charged with eight fleurs-de-lis or. The crest is: On a wreath argent and gules out of a mural crown gules a swan rousant argent in beak a branch of climbing red roses leaved and entwined about the neck proper. The supporters are: On either side a griffin gules, armed and beaked azure, each supporting an oar proper, the blade of the dexter dark blue and that of the sinister light blue. The portcullis was taken from the arms of the Municipal Borough of Richmond; the swan crest, from the arms of the Municipal Borough of Twickenham; and the griffin supporters and shield from the arms of the Municipal Borough of Barnes. Red, gold and ermine are the royal livery colours, reflecting Richmond's royal history. The swan represents the River Thames, which flows through the borough. The oars are from the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, reflecting the fact that the Boat Race between the two universities ends at Mortlake in the borough.

Aviation
London Heathrow Airport is located a short distance west, in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Buses
The borough is served by many Transport for London bus routes.

Rail services
The borough is connected to central London and Reading by the National Rail services of the South Western Railway.

Richmond upon Thames is not very well served by the London Underground compared with other boroughs in West London. Two stations, served by the District line, are located towards the borough's northeastern end: Richmond and Kew Gardens station. Both are also served by London Overground trains on the North London line, which connects Richmond with inner North London before terminating in Stratford. The southwestern end of the district, encompassing areas such as Twickenham are served instead by suburban railway services.

The other stations are: Barnes; Barnes Bridge; Fulwell; Hampton; Hampton Wick; Mortlake; North Sheen; St Margarets; Strawberry Hill; Teddington; Twickenham and Whitton.

Education
Richmond upon Thames is the local education authority for the borough.

Richmond upon Thames College opened in 1977 and was the first tertiary college in Greater London. The borough adopted a tertiary post-16 provision with virtually all 16-19 studies taking place at this college. This system lasted until 2012 when the council approved the creation of sixth forms in schools. Additionally the council approved the creation of a Catholic secondary school for the first time in the borough.

Sport and leisure

The borough has a non-League football club, Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C., who play at Beveree Stadium in Hampton. Twickenham Stadium hosts rugby internationals and the Twickenham Stoop is home to the Harlequins Rugby Team.

Richmond Rugby Club are also active and share their grounds with London Scottish F.C. The Richmond Minis is a large youth rugby organisation whilst the Richmond Heavies organise games for more veteran players.

Cricket is played in many locations around the borough including Ham Common, Richmond Green and Kew Green.

The River Thames flows through the borough and a number of sailing and rowing clubs are located along it. Richmond Canoe Club is situation a short distance up river from Richmond Bridge

The borough has a large amount of equestrian activity; this includes the Horse Rangers Association and Ham Polo Club.

Richmond's swimming pools, Pools on the Park, are located in Old Deer Park close to the town centre. The outdoor pool is open in the summer months only. There is also a heated outdoor pool in Hampton.

Arts and culture
The Twickenham Museum is a volunteer-run museum opposite St Mary's parish church.

The Museum of Richmond, in Richmond's Old Town Hall, close to Richmond Bridge, has displays relating to the history of Richmond, Ham, Petersham and Kew. Its rotating exhibitions, education activities and a programme of events cover the whole of the modern borough. The museum's highlights include 16th-century glass from Richmond Palace and a painting, The Terrace and View from Richmond Hill, Surrey by Dutch draughtsman and painter Leonard Knyff (1650–1722), which is part of the Richmond upon Thames Borough Art Collection.

Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham displays material from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames' art collection. This includes a portrait of James Johnston by Thomas Gibson, paintings of Orleans House by Arthur Vickers and several other artists, and the Burton Collection, which includes artwork, personal effects and photographs of the explorer Richard Francis Burton. The gallery is also the site of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames' arts service and provides educational workshops for a wide variety of ages, using the converted stables and coach house as educational spaces.

Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare in Hampton hosts a free Sunday afternoon Shakespeare exhibition from April to October and a series of summer drama, music and exhibitions.

Richmond has two theatres. The Richmond Theatre at the side of Little Green is a Victorian structure designed by Frank Matcham and restored and extended by Carl Toms in 1990. The theatre has a weekly schedule of plays and musicals, usually given by professional touring companies, and pre-West End shows can sometimes be seen. There is a Christmas and New Year pantomime tradition and many of Britain's greatest music hall and pantomime performers have appeared here.

Close to Richmond railway station is the Orange Tree Theatre which was founded in 1971 in a room above the Orange Tree pub. As audience numbers increased there was pressure to find a more accommodating space and, in 1991, the company moved to current premises within a converted primary school. The 172-seat theatre was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It has acquired a national reputation for the quality of its work for staging new plays, and for discovering undeservedly forgotten old plays and neglected classics.

Performance group Richmond Opera rehearse regularly at The Vineyard Centre.

The Cabbage Patch pub on London Road near Twickenham railway station has, since 1983, been a regular venue for live music on Sunday nights, organised by TwickFolk.

In 2015, Barnes, London became home to London's largest dedicated children's book event, the Barnes Children's Literature Festival, which is now the second largest in Europe.

Twin towns and sister cities
Richmond upon Thames is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Fontainebleau, France (since 1977)
 * 🇩🇪 Konstanz, Germany (since 1983)
 * 🇺🇸 Richmond, Virginia, United States (since 1980)

title: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames


text:
The Family: A Proclamation to the World

"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) which defined the official position of the church on family, marriage, gender roles, and human sexuality. It was first announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.

History
Hinckley first read the proclamation on September 23, 1995, at the church's General Relief Society (women’s) Meeting, stating that the purpose was to "warn and forewarn" the world to the danger of deviating from its standards. Although the proclamation was presented at the Relief Society meeting, it was written without any input from the church’s general Relief Society presidency. Indeed, in 2017, Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk in General Conference suggesting the text of the proclamation was composed solely by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles which are the church’s top two leadership bodies, and are both all-male.

In 1997, the LDS Church included the text of the proclamation in an amicus brief to petition the Hawaii Supreme Court to reject same-sex marriage. The case was Baehr v. Miike (originally Baehr v. Lewin).

The proclamation has been discussed and referenced in the church's general conferences as well as in many other types of church meetings throughout the world. For instance, the proclamation and the associated issues addressed were discussed during the church's 2008 worldwide leadership training meeting.

The proclamation has also been influential among leaders of other religious traditions. For example, in 2014 the Vatican's Humanum: An International Interreligious Colloquium on the Complementarity of Man and Woman featured several world leaders including Pope Francis and Muslim theologian Dr. Rasoul Rasoulipour quoting from or citing its basic teachings.

Contents
Although the proclamation presents no new doctrines or policies, it provides an official statement of the church on gender and sexual relations.

Doctrinal assertions

 * Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.
 * The family is ordained of God and central to God's plan.
 * All human beings are created in the image of God.
 * As a beloved spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Parents, each person has a divine nature and destiny.
 * Gender is an essential characteristic of human identity before, during, and after life on Earth.
 * "In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan."
 * "Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally."
 * God will hold parents accountable for the way in which they fulfill responsibilities to their families.
 * "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity."

Items of counsel

 * God's commandment to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.
 * Sexual relations are sacred and properly take place only between a man and a woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
 * Procreation is divinely appointed, and therefore life is sacred and an important part of God's plan.
 * Parents have "a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children."
 * Parents' responsibilities toward their children include rearing them "in love and righteousness," providing "for their physical and spiritual needs," and teaching "them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens."
 * Happiness and success come through following the teachings of Jesus and through "faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."
 * "By divine design fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."
 * "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children."
 * "Fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
 * Citizens and officers of government should "promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

Warnings

 * Those who commit adultery or "abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God."
 * Disintegration of the family will bring "calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."

Criticism
The LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign has cited the proclamation as an indication that although telling families not to reject children due to their sexual orientation and telling members to treat them with love and compassion, the church restricts those who believe themselves to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender from fully integrating into the LDS Church if they act on their same-sex attraction. Those who do act on their feelings may be disciplined in various ways including excommunication. Because discipline is administered locally, actual practice differs geographically. The church also issued this statement after the Human Rights Campaign's criticism: The Church recognizes that those of its members who are attracted to others of the same sex experience deep emotional, social and physical feelings. The Church distinguishes between feelings or inclinations on the one hand and behavior on the other. It’s not a sin to have feelings, only in yielding to temptation.

There is no question that this is difficult, but Church leaders and members are available to help lift, support and encourage fellow members who wish to follow Church doctrine. Their struggle is our struggle. Those in the Church who are attracted to someone of the same sex but stay faithful to the Church’s teachings can be happy during this life and perform meaningful service in the Church. They can enjoy full fellowship with other Church members, including attending and serving in temples, and ultimately receive all the blessings afforded to those who live the commandments of God.

Status
The LDS Church has characterized the proclamation as a reaffirmation of standards "repeatedly stated throughout its history." Apostle Boyd K. Packer also stated in general conference that it "qualifies according to the definition as a revelation and it would do well that members of the Church read and follow it." It is particularly important because, although not canonized, the proclamation is only the fifth such statement in the history of the church. The proclamation was especially authoritative because it was issued in the name of the three members of the First Presidency and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, each of the fifteen signatories being considered by members of the LDS Church as "prophet, seer, and revelators." The principles established by the proclamation were cited by Latter-day Saints during the campaign by the LDS Church and its members in support of California Proposition 8 (2008).

title: The Family: A Proclamation to the World