---
title: "language"
description: "A collection of words, their pronunciation and methods for combining them, understood by a specific community and used as a form of communication."
---

A collection of words, their pronunciation and methods for combining them, understood by a specific community and used as a form of communication.

**Purpose.** To record details about a spoken, written or symbolic system of communication.

## Source

| Model | Leg | Role |
|---|---|---|
| `openEHR-EHR-CLUSTER.language.v1` | openEHR | defines this table |

## Columns

| Column | Type | Null | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `id` | `uuid primary key` | no | Primary key. | — |
| `language_name`<br />`language_name_code`<br />`language_name_system`<br />`language_name_valueset_id` | coded text<br />`text`, `text`, `text`, `text` | yes | Language name | `/items[at0001]` |
| `variant`<br />`variant_code`<br />`variant_system`<br />`variant_valueset_id` | coded text<br />`text`, `text`, `text`, `text` | yes | Variant | `/items[at0002]` |
| `mode`<br />`mode_code`<br />`mode_system`<br />`mode_valueset_id` | coded text<br />`text`, `text`, `text`, `text` | yes | Mode | `/items[at0006]` |
| `comment` | `text` | yes | Comment | `/items[at0004]` |

## Constraints

```sql
check ((language_name_code is null and language_name_system is null and language_name_valueset_id is null) or (language_name is not null and language_name_code is not null and language_name_system is not null and language_name_valueset_id is not null))
check ((variant_code is null and variant_system is null and variant_valueset_id is null) or (variant is not null and variant_code is not null and variant_system is not null and variant_valueset_id is not null))
check ((mode_code is null and mode_system is null and mode_valueset_id is null and mode is null) or (mode is not null and mode_code is not null and mode_system is not null and mode_valueset_id is not null))
```

## References

| Columns | Target | On delete |
|---|---|---|
| `language_name_valueset_id, language_name_code, language_name_system, language_name` | [`valueset_code`](/docs/tables/valueset_code) | restrict |
| `variant_valueset_id, variant_code, variant_system, variant` | [`valueset_code`](/docs/tables/valueset_code) | restrict |
| `mode_valueset_id, mode_code, mode_system, mode` | [`valueset_code`](/docs/tables/valueset_code) | restrict |

## Referenced by

- [`communication_capability_per_language`](/docs/tables/communication_capability_per_language) via `language`

## Value sets

| Value set | Codes |
|---|---|
| `org.openehr::openEHR-EHR-CLUSTER.language.v1/mode` | 5 |