# xBILINGUALxENTITYx — xENTITÉxBILINGUEx — bilingual named-entity notation

The xBILINGUALxENTITYx standard extends the xVARx method to named entities that carry an official name in both of Canada's official languages. Each entity is written as **a pair of xVARIABLEx tokens** — the English official name first, the French official name second — joined by a spaced em dash. Each token stays a single double-clickable word; the pair reads as one bilingual unit, Canadian-style:

`xSUPREMExCOURxOFxCANADAx — xCOURxSUPRÊMExDUxCANADAx`

Also known as: **xENTITÉxBILINGUEx**, *xVARx EN—FR*, *bilingual named-entity notation*.
Official page: <https://shared.boxicube.com/web/xvarx-enfr/>
Built on: [the xVARx method](https://shared.boxicube.com/web/xvarx/) — lowercase `x` as prefix, suffix and word separator.

## How it works

1. **Take the two official names** — the name the entity uses in English, and the name it uses in French. Official names only: federal institutions, provinces, courts and agencies publish theirs (statutes, letters patent, bilingual signage). Never invent a translation.
2. **Wrap each name as an xVARIABLEx token** — lowercase `x` as prefix, suffix and word separator: **every space in the official name becomes an `x`**. Diacritics stay (É, Ê, À, Ç); official hyphens stay.
3. **Join the pair with " — "** — English first, French second, em dash with a space on each side. The read order is fixed: `xENGLISHxNAMEx — xNOMxFRANÇAISx`.

## Rules

| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Official names only — no invented translations | `xSUPREMExCOURxOFxCANADAx — xCOURxSUPRÊMExDUxCANADAx` |
| Every space in the official name becomes `x` | `xDEPARTMENTxOFxNATIONALxDEFENCEx — xMINISTÈRExDELAxDÉFENSExNATIONALEx` |
| Diacritics are part of the name — keep them | `xPRINCExEDWARDxISLANDx — xÎLE-DU-PRINCE-ÉDOUARDx` |
| Acronym when the acronym is the official short name | `xRCMPx — xGRCx` · `xCRAx — xARCx` |
| Identical name in both languages → one token, no pair | `xTORONTOx` · `xALBERTAx` · `xOTTAWAx` |
| Untranslated name → single token, as the entity presents itself | `xSHOPIFYx` · `xUNESCOx` |
| Official name containing a slash stays as published | `xCBC/RADIOxCANADAx` (CBC/Radio-Canada — one official name, identical in both languages) |

## Edge cases

- **Hyphens** are part of official names and stay (`Île-du-Prince-Édouard`, `Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador`). Trade-off: some editors treat a hyphen as a word boundary, so a double-click may grab only part of the token — select manually when needed.
- **Provinces**: most carry a distinct French form (`xPRINCExEDWARDxISLANDx — xÎLE-DU-PRINCE-ÉDOUARDx`, `xNEWFOUNDLANDxANDxLABRADORx — xTERRExNEUVExETxLABRADORx`). Some are identical in both languages (`Ontario`, `Alberta`, `Nunavut`) → single token.
- **Municipalities**: the corporate name often differs (`xVILLEXDETORONTOx` / `xCITYxOFxTORONTOx`) while the bare name is identical → the pair only when the official names differ; bare `xTORONTOx` otherwise.
- **No official bilingual pair** (private companies, foreign bodies, people): use the single name as the entity presents itself. The notation never fabricates a second name.
- **Inside a sentence**: the pair sits where the entity sits — `"The ruling came from xSUPREMExCOURxOFxCANADAx — xCOURxSUPRÊMExDUxCANADAx on xDATEEx."`

## Why an em dash

- The em dash keeps both tokens **independent**: a double-click grabs one official name at a time — replace one language or both.
- A slash would fuse the pair into one token — and collides with official names that already contain a slash (CBC/Radio-Canada).
- The spaced em dash matches Canadian bilingual usage, where the two names sit side by side as equals.

## Examples

- Federal court: `xSUPREMExCOURxOFxCANADAx — xCOURxSUPRÊMExDUxCANADAx`
- Federal department: `xDEPARTMENTxOFxNATIONALxDEFENCEx — xMINISTÈRExDELAxDÉFENSExNATIONALEx`
- Agency, acronym short names: `xCRAx — xARCx`
- Province: `xPRINCExEDWARDxISLANDx — xÎLE-DU-PRINCE-ÉDOUARDx`
- In a letter: `Please address your filing to xDEPARTMENTxOFxNATIONALxDEFENCEx — xMINISTÈRExDELAxDÉFENSExNATIONALEx before xDATEEx.`

## Known trade-offs

- Hyphenated names may double-click partially (see edge cases).
- The xVARx bulk trade-off still applies: a global search-and-replace of `x` → space is a two-pass fix (first `xx` → space, then `x` → nothing).

## Version française

Le standard **xENTITÉxBILINGUEx — xBILINGUALxENTITYx** étend la méthode xVARx aux entités qui portent un nom officiel dans les deux langues officielles du Canada. Chaque entité s'écrit comme **une paire de tokens xVARIABLEx** — le nom officiel anglais d'abord, le nom officiel français ensuite — reliés par un tiret cadratin espacé. Chaque token reste un seul mot sélectionnable d'un double-clic ; la paire se lit comme une seule unité bilingue, à la canadienne :

`xCOURxSUPRÊMExDUxCANADAx — xSUPREMExCOURxOFxCANADAx` → **ordre fixe : anglais d'abord** `xSUPREMExCOURxOFxCANADAx — xCOURxSUPRÊMExDUxCANADAx`

- **Prendre les deux noms officiels** — jamais de traduction inventée ; les noms sont publiés (lois, lettres patentes, signalisation bilingue).
- **Envelopper chaque nom en token xVARIABLEx** — chaque espace du nom officiel devient un `x` ; les diacritiques restent (É, Ê, À, Ç) ; les traits d'union officiels restent.
- **Relier la paire par « — »** — espace des deux côtés, ordre fixe EN puis FR.

Noms identiques dans les deux langues (`xTORONTOx`, `xALBERTAx`) → **un seul token**, pas de paire factice. Nom sans traduction (`xSHOPIFYx`) → token unique, tel que l'entité se présente.

## Origin

A personal convention by **Luc**, part of the boxi toolkit (2026), in the context of Canada's *Official Languages Act* — where most public institutions carry an official name in English and in French. The standard names itself: **xBILINGUALxENTITYx — xENTITÉxBILINGUEx**.