Re: CHAT: Unsolicited abuse

Matt Pearson wrote:

> I know exactly what you mean.  Yes, it's *possible* he thought that, but
> I doubt it.  When I told him that one of my hobbies was making up a
> language, he asked me whether the language was 'logical', and then went
> on to pontificate about Esperanto and its function as a medium of
> international communication.  Although not exactly a fan of Esperanto,
> he was intrigued by the Esperanto concept (in addition to being a
> psychologist and professor of pedagogy, he was also a specialist in
> 'peace studies' or some such - all very Swedish!).  It was only after I
> informed him that *my* language was not intended as an auxlang that he
> became hostile and started spouting catch phrases like "mental
> masturbation".  So I don't think he thought of me as a schizophrenic
> or a glossalalic.  In his mind, language has a purely utilitarian
> function, so any artificial language project which is 'just for fun'
> would be a waste of valuable time - a reaction which many other people
> on this list have reported.
I wonder if he also thinks that things like music and literature are
wastes of time, too. Conlanging is no less creative than those endeavors.

> Matt.
--
Dan Seriff <seriffda@...>

"Mozart is just God's way of making the rest of us feel inferior."
        - David Barber