• Success Criterion 3.1.1
  • Conformance level A

Language Attribute Set on the Body Instead of the HTML Root

3.1.1 — Language of Page

Scenario

Setting

A university's online course catalog

What’s wrong

lang on <body> instead of <html> in contexts where assistive technology reads the root.

Example 

<html>
<body lang="en">
  <h1>Course Catalog</h1>
  <p>Browse 400+ undergraduate and graduate courses.</p>
</body>
</html>

Why it matters

Many assistive technologies read the lang value from the html root only, so a student browsing the catalog gets no language cue at all even though someone tried to set it.

How to test

Check DevTools: if lang is set on body instead of html, some assistive technology reading the root element won't pick it up correctly.

How to fix

The lang attribute belongs on html; setting it on body alone is not equivalent and some assistive tech ignores it there.

<html lang="en">
<body>
  <h1>Course Catalog</h1>
  <p>Browse 400+ undergraduate and graduate courses.</p>
</body>
</html>

Outcome

A prospective student hears course titles pronounced correctly while comparing programs.

Who is affected

Screen reader users relying on correct pronunciation of course names and department abbreviations get none, because the attribute sits in the wrong place.

Learn more

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