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The <math> element represents math and so should be given the "math" role. (It could be argued that this should be defined by MathML rather than by HTML).
FWIW, http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-pfwg-comments/2009AprJun/0087.html is still unresolved in the sense that the PFWG didn't agree with my comment and I registered disagreement with the PFWG's response to my comment.
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: This is an Editor's Response to your comment. If you are satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If you have additional information and would like the editor to reconsider, please reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest title and text for the tracker issue; or you may create a tracker issue yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document: http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html Status: Rejected Change Description: no spec change Rationale: This seems out of scope for HTML. This is an ARIA/MathML issue. David: FYI, the MathML spec should probably define the strong native ARIA semantics of MathML. For an example of how to do that, look for the section in HTML called "Annotations for assistive technology products".
(In reply to comment #2) > Rationale: This seems out of scope for HTML. This is an ARIA/MathML issue. > > David: FYI, the MathML spec should probably define the strong native ARIA semantics of MathML. I'm sceptical about the recommendation to say that math should have role="math" as strong native ARIA semantics. I think, rather, that it should have _default_ MATH role. The reason for this is that I wonder what happens in case of this which is quite logical: <figure role="math"> <math /> <!-- equivalent to <math role="math" /> in case of strong native semantics --> </figure> ARIA 1.0 gives an analog example, using <div> [1] where only the <div> carries the role: <div role="math" aria-label="6 divided by 4 equals 1.5"> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mfrac> <mn>6</mn> <mn>4</mn> </mfrac> <mo>=</mo> <mn>1.5</mn> </math> </div> [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/complete#math Perhaps it is no problem if both the the parent (e.g. <figure>) and <math> have role="math". However, we should be sure that it isn't. <math> is like the root element. Comparingly, HTML's root element, <html>, does not have strong semantics it has no native semantics at all ... So why should <math> have strong semantics? Or, perhaps it _should:_ have strong semantics, but I'm not sure that it is up to the MathML working group to decide. Consider the opposite: would it have been meaningful to leave it to the HTMLwg to decide what kind of semantics <html> should have in a hypothetical "MathML 5"? Thus, likewise, I think that it _perhaps_ is meaningful for the HTMLwg to decide what kind of role <math> should map to inside a HTML document. (I reopened this bug - however, a NEEDSINFO would have been fine too ... not sure about my options ..)
Leif, your comment gives an additional reason to not make the math role a strong semantic. However, I an already rejected that possibility. So I think this bug should stay as resolved WONTFIX. Re-resolving.
Big triage sub-team thinks the ARIA mapping team should review and update this bug as the mappings are prepared, but no need for entire HTML A11Y TF to review. Assigning to Steve Faulkner to track.
HTML A11Y TF request that this be reopened and a formal issue. Because MathML is not incorporated by reference, we do not agree that the question of the role of the <math> element can be left to the MathML spec. It is a native HTML element and needs to be addressed in that specification.
From the EDITOR'S RESPONSE "please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest title and text for the tracker issue; or you may create a tracker issue yourself, if you are able to do so" Does anybody want to propose title and text for the tracker issue? Or to create the tracker issue themselves?
Removing TrackerRequest, since no suggested title or summary for the tracker issue has been provided. Please provide these if you re-add TrackerRequest.