Re: Re :

On Fri, 8 Oct 1999, C. Tsuchiya wrote:

> Mathias wrote:
> >
> > speaking a language identifies with an community.
> > making a language is tantamount to denying the community.
I disagree with *that* out of context (can't find the rest of what
Mathias wrote); it's not as if *anything* one does on one's own is
-erm- mental you-know-what.

> This really struck a chord with me. I've always been quite an introvert,
> even a misanthrope. I have often consciously rejected community,
> although it hadn't occurred to me that my conlanging activity might be
> an expression of that desire. I am not suggesting that this is the next
> conlanger's purpose, but it resonates with me.
It also resonates with me, but on a dissonance: I *know* I'm
extraverted, and far from misanthropic, and I don't want motives like
that pressed on me. My conlanging is an expression - one of the
various expressions - of creating an *invented* community, not to
replace the one I lead my daily life in, but to supplement and enrich
it. There would be no Valdyan language without any Valdyans to speak
it, fictitious as they are.

> On the other hand, I also agree with others who have cited the sheer
> effort that it would take a non-conlanger to appreciate a conlang. It's
> not quite parallel to having an aesthetic sense about natural languages.
> I, for one, enjoy working on my languages but I'm not fluent in speaking
> any of them. I can't just rattle off even the simplest phrases.
> Therefore I have nothing to offer the non-linguistic person for purposes
> of accessible aesthetic appreciation.
Then write things! Nobody needs to know that you need, say, two hours
to write something that can be read in two minutes.

> That's one reason I've begun to
> more seriously add cultural elements around my conlang and include them
> on the web page. Since that text is still in English, a non-linguist can
> take it in without too much effort.
It's wise to put cultural information in English (or any other
language that enough interested people can read, like Dutch or
French); if you try to do *that* in your conlang it'll be enough work
for several lifetimes :-)

> "Being bright does not grant an immunity to doing idiotic
> things; more like, it just enlarges the possible scope."
>      -- Lois McMaster Bujold
Hey, I like your .sig! Can I steal it to add to my future random .sig
archive?

   Irina

            Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay.
                     irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself)
       http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/index.html (English)
    http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/backpage.html (Nederlands)