Most IPUMS data transformations are performed using variable harmonization tables that specify how each value in the source data is recoded. Some variables also require programming logic in addition to the harmonization table. The harmonization documents for this variable are:
Instructions for interpreting harmonization documents
Description
MTONGKG indicates the respondent's native tongue. If they had difficulty naming a tongue, the one used most often in the household was identified. Parents were to determine the language of children too young to speak.
Comparability — General
The names of some languages were suppressed in the 1999 sample for confidentiality reasons but available in the 2009 sample, and vice versa.
